All in Due Time
by murphdog123
Summary: Iris Blackthorne, an orphan, joins everyone at Hogwarts meeting new faces and new places along the way. This is a story of epic proportions and length. George/OC later on. It's better than it sounds, I promise.
1. First Year

**Hello everybody! Just a heads up, this is an immensely long story so if you decide to stick it out and read it all I applaud you. Also, please pardon any grammar mistakes and if you find any that I might have missed please let me know so that I can go and correct them :) I only own Iris and the story about her parents that will come more into play later. Reviews are always welcome!**

**First Year**

The bleak sun shined through the old, moth eaten curtains of the window at the orphanage in which Iris had grown up in. It was the only place she knew.

She enjoyed the company of others. She watched as some children came and went from the orphanage. It was always exciting to see the arrival of new faces but always sad to see them leave.

Today was a peculiar day that felt, to Iris, like so many others. She hadn't had word of a visitor her entire time of staying at the orphanage. Ms. Fagan the matron of the orphanage had announced the man that had asked to see her.

"Iris, dear, an Albus Dumbledore is here to see you." As she said his name she looked at him unsure if she has pronounced his name correctly.

The man was tall, with a wise face that bore a silver beard and long hair. His eyes where hidden behind half moon spectacles.

As the small girl faced him Dumbledore became aware of a sobering fact. He had seen those brilliant green eyes and flaming red hair before.

Dumbledore cautiously entered through the narrow worn doorway into what appeared to be a small child's room. A miniscule desk sat in the corner of the room. On the other wall at the foot of the bed was a rather large wardrobe. The walls were blank except for the window that stood opposite the doorway. A bed was carefully made and revealed a grey woolen top blanket.

Sitting atop the bed was a small girl that was no more than ten or eleven years old. Dumbledore moved forward into the room that was Iris's. He made the first effort to say anything. "Hello Iris. I am Professor Dumbledore; I am the Headmaster of _'Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry'_. Hogwarts is a school for special people like you and I. You are gifted with the power to do things beyond anyone's wildest fantasies and there are more people like you than you know."

To Iris this was a mouthful and a lot to take in all at once. Did she here him right? What had he said? She was a witch? How was this possible?

Without saying any of her questions aloud, Dumbledore had to her amazement started to answer them as if he had read her mind, "Yes, you heard me right. You are a witch with a lot of magical ancestry and one of your ancestors in particular being one of the four founders of our school."

He paused for a moment as to see if Iris was going to say anything. When she didn't he continued, "I hope that you will accept this splendid offer to join us at Hogwarts."

For the first time since Dumbledore had arrived, Iris spoke, her voice coming out clear but trembled with the slight hint of oppressed excitement. "Yes!"

A smile spread over Dumbledore's lined face. His blue eyes gleamed at her over his half moon spectacles.

He told her of the things that they offered at Hogwarts and gave her a list of school supplies that she would need at Diagon Alley, to which he would accompany her to. Dumbledore had also handed her a bag that was heavy when he had dropped it into her outstretched hands. He had told her that this was her spending money for her school supplies.

Iris watched as Albus Dumbledore had escorted himself out of her room. He had told her that he would come for her in a few weeks time. Until then Iris remained in her room most of the time fantasizing about her new school and what it must feel like to experience magic.


	2. Chapter 2

**I hope you enjoy :) Reviews welcome!**

As the days turned into weeks, Albus returned for her like he said and he escorted her to Diagon Alley where he assisted her with her purchasing of her materials. Before it was time for them to return back to the orphanage, Dumbledore had reminded her that she still was in need of a wand.

They strolled over to a quaint little shop that read the name of 'Ollivander's'. Dumbledore took to staying outside while Iris made her way into the tiny shop. A very ancient looking man stood resolutely behind the counter apparently reading something.

Iris walked up and asked if she could try a wand. The man who appeared to be Ollivander had just realized that she was standing in front of him. His voice was hoarse from many years of age, "Well hello, I'm sorry I didn't see you there," he was looking at her through his round reading glasses.

Iris smiled brightly up at him as he handed her a box with a wand after a few moments of him looking. "That there is a yew wand, 10", with unicorn hair. Give it a wave then." He waited with mock anticipation.

Iris made a swishing movement that caused a blast of air to erupt from the wands tip. The gust was so strong that Iris couldn't help but laugh when Ollivander's hair was standing straight on end.

Ollivander walked towards the back of the shop which appeared to have stretched for some distance for it was a few moments before he returned with another wand in hand. Taking it out of the box he had passed it to Iris. "Now this wand is a Holly, 11", and Phoenix feather."

She made the same swishing motion that she had done before but instead of issuing a gale force wind the vase behind Ollivander had disintegrated to sand. Without another word Iris put the wand on the counter and tried to get as far away from it as possible.

Ollivander made yet another trip to the back of the shop and yet again returned to the counter where Iris stood on the other side. He spoke with great hope in his voice, "Maybe this one." She removed the wand from its wrappings in the box. "This is a Willow, 12 3/4", with unicorn hair."

As soon as she had the wand comfortably positioned in her hand she knew instinctively that this was the right one. She waved it and a gold spark emitted from the end. Ollivander's face was illuminated with the smile of a job well done.

Iris paid him for the wand and exited the shop. She and Dumbledore then headed back to the orphanage where she was to stay for another week. He had reassured her that she will be fine and told her that someone would be there to get her to platform 9 ¾ on time for the Hogwarts Express. He left without another word leaving Iris to relish in her own excitement.

A week past and she was being brought to the station by a man who was taller than the tallest person she had ever seen. He had said that his name was Rubeus Hagrid or something of that nature.

When they had gone through the barrier to the platform she was greeted with the sight of a bustling crowd and a scarlet train engine. It was a magnificent sight to behold.

She loaded her possessions onto the train and made her way through the corridor of the train cars trying to find a solitary car to sit in for she didn't know anyone and didn't want to intrude on others.

As the train lurched sickeningly forward, ecstatic butterflies rose in Iris's stomach. She couldn't believe she was actually going to Hogwarts!

A few minutes into the ride a small round faced boy was opening her car door and asked if he could join her for there was nowhere else to sit.

The boy had an enormous toad held fast in his sweaty hands. He seemed to stammer a little, "H-hello, I-I-I'm Neville, Neville Longbottom." He hadn't even lifted his head to meet her gaze.

She gave Neville a wide toothy smile, "Hello Neville, I'm Iris, Iris Blackthorne." At this he had lifted his head to meet her eyes. They both gave a laugh as the toad croaked as to introduce himself to them.

For the rest of the ride to Hogwarts they discussed what they were expecting to learn this year and talked about each other.

Iris found that Neville's toad's name is Trevor and that he always seems to lose him. Also she found that he lived with his grandmother. Iris wondered why he wasn't living with his parents but thought it rude and insensitive to ask so she didn't.

As the Hogwarts Express pulled in the station all the first year students were met by the giant man that had escorted Iris to the station just hours before. They were all to line up in front of him and Iris saw Hagrid wave to another boy who had untidy hair and round glassed. For a second Iris thought that she saw a lightning bolt on his forehead but she must have been mistaken.

As Iris stood near her new friend, Neville, they made there way to a dock ambushed with what looked like row boats with no oars and a lantern dangling from the helm. Hagrid had helped student after student into the enchanted boats and they set sail across they lake surrounding the enormous castle.

Once up at the castles giant front doors they were met by an older witch who was wearing a pointed hat and green and black robes. She announced herself as Professor McGonagall and told them that they would soon be sorted in their correct houses by the sorting hat.

The doors behind her to the Great Hall opened and all of the first years were ushered in by McGonagall bringing up the rear of the group. Neville and Iris were in the middle of the crowd.

Being somewhat taller than her counterparts, Iris could see over many of there heads. She observed spectacularly colored banners of red, green, blue and yellow, each emblazoned with some sort of animal.

Ahead of them was a long table set higher than the other tables that seemed to hold the students in their perspective houses. There were many adult who seemed to be the teachers of the school. Iris recognized Professor Dumbledore immediately. As she scanned the table she observed a man that seemed to be too short for the table so he was sitting on what seemed to be text books. Next to him was a bewildered looking woman whose spectacles made her eyes look magnified. On the other side of Dumbledore there was a man who was wearing a purple turban and he seemed to be talking to a younger man with long black hair and a thin, sallow face. The younger man was staring into the crowd of first years obviously not paying much attention to the conversation at hand.

Suddenly broken out of her train of thought by the sound of McGonagall with the news that she was going to call names and they would have to step up front and she would place the sorting hat on their heads to be separated into their houses, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin.

The list of names seemed to be alphabetical by last name. Iris was bubbling with anticipation as Hannah Abbot was called. The mangy looking old hat was set upon her shaking head. To Iris's surprise the hat started to talk. A mouth formed at the brim and the sagging fold created eyes. Everyone watched with eagerness. The hat after only a few moments of contemplating yelled, "HUFFLEPUFF!" Cheers erupted from what Iris assumed to be the Hufflepuff table and the staff table at the front.

As the applause started to slow but not quite die Professor McGonagall called, "Blackthorne, Iris" As Iris looked over at Neville and gave him an excited smile she marched forward through the bramble of students. As she looked up at the staff table before seating herself on the stool she caught a glimpse of the young teacher and Dumbledore sit attentively paying attention to everything that was happening.

She seated herself and the hat was placed on her head. In a gruff voice that was more like a croaking that reminded Iris of Neville's warty toad, Trevor. The hat shouted which took her by surprise, "GRYFFINDOR!" The table exploded with happiness.

Dumbledore seemed to settle back in his chair as Iris walked over to her new found family but with a skeptically puzzled look that suggested that he was deep in thought. As she seated herself she stole a glance over at the young teacher who wasn't trying to hard to pay attention to the other students sorting but rather was scanning over the tables with his black eyes and occasionally lingering on Iris.

In the commotion of the sorting and all the chattering produced by the already sorted students and their tables, there were more shouts from the sorting hat which bellowed, "GRYFFINDOR!" permitting many new students to the table, including Neville and the boy that Hagrid had waved to at the station.

There had been a handful or so more students placed in each of the other three houses.

As soon as the sorting was over and the first years were settled into there new families, Dumbledore had made his yearly announcements, something about the third floor corridor and the ForbiddenForest. The food appeared from no where as Dumbledore had reseated himself and they feasted until they were dismissed to their dormitories.

Once there Iris discovered her trunk and belongings at the foot of her bed. She changed into her pajamas as fast as she could and fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow for she was exhausted from all of the excitement.


	3. Chapter 3

The next day had come to quick but not fast enough for a still excited Iris. She sat up in her ruffled tangled sheets. As she disentangled her legs from them she made her way to the foot of her bed where her robes were kept.

Hastily Iris made her way to the door but her knee collided with the sharp edge of the trunk. She yelped in reluctant pain and knelt down to survey the red blood that had already started to trickle down her leg.

Standing back up Iris reopened her trunk and rummaged through it until she found something to sop up the already clotting blood of her knee. As it had relented its bleeding and the pain had subsided, Iris discarded the bloody rag and proceeded on her way to the Great Hall.

On her way she seemed to notice for the first time the portrait of what seemed to be ordinary people moving inside of their frames and conversing with one another. It made for an interesting topic to talk to Neville about at breakfast.

Once there Iris caught sight of the staff table and there were noticeably empty seats. Dumbledore himself and a few others had been missing. Not paying this much mind she had seated herself beside two boys who dawned red hair and similar features. Iris took this as that they had to have been twins.

Iris filled her plate with scrambled eggs and toast which tasted to her far better than she had ever had. The two boys sitting beside her turned to her and introduced themselves.

"Hey, I'm Fred and this here is George." The one that was George had his mouth full but waved and smiled causing the eggs he must have been eating to fall out of his mouth.

Iris gave a girlish giggle at this, "Nice." Giving George a genuine smile and held out her hand for them to shake, "Hello, I am Iris, Iris Blackthorne." Both of the twins gave her their hands to shake.

To Iris's surprise and delight they both said in unison, "We know." The look on Iris's puzzled face must have been apparent for George, who had finally swallowed his eggs, elaborating, "We knew you would be in Gryffindor when we first saw you."

The twins exchanged furtive looks, and then they both got up from the table waving her good-bye and left. Iris watched them leave as Neville arrived to sit opposite from her.

Moments after his arrival Professor McGonagall started passing out notices that turned out to be schedules. The parchment was filled with all of the classes and subjects they were expected to learn. Iris scanned over the paper that was just handed to her.

Monday: Potions

Defense Against the Dark Arts

Tuesday: Charms

Transfigurations

Wednesday: Potions

Herbology

Astronomy

Thursday: Charms

Transfigurations

Flying

Friday: Double Potions

Defense Against the Dark Arts

Looking up from her schedule, Iris noticed that Neville was looking over his. "What classes do you have Neville?" They exchanged papers and Iris saw that they had the same classes.

Receiving her parchment back Iris noticed a side note that said that Gryffindors were to have classes with the Slytherins. She looked over to the table that seated the notorious house. Iris noticed that they all had the same mean intimidating demeanor; they reminded her of villains and bullies.

The time drew nearer to the dismissal to class. As the bell rang, Iris and Neville made there way through the rush of frantic students, mostly first years not wanting to be late to class.

Potions class was to be held in the dungeon of the castle which was also where, it had been rumored by other Gryffindors, that the Slytherin common room was.

The stairs to the inner sanctum of the castle was dark and musty. They lead in a spiraling form to the landing in front of the potions masters' door to his classroom.

Neville and Iris seemed to have arrived just in time for the bell rang as they entered through the door. There was a vacant desk that Neville and Iris sat in as soon as they arrived.

As soon as they had both sat down the dungeon door had burst open and a tall man garnished in black robes that matched his long ebony hair and dark eyes walked in. The man turned to face his young audience and Iris recognized him as the younger teacher at the Staff table from the night before who was engaged in conversation with the man wearing the turban.

Snape had started taking role. His ominously dark eyes lingered on Iris for a minute and then he scanned the rest of the room. His eyes then landed upon the boy ahead of Iris with the round glasses, his voice came out soft and malevolent. "Ah, yes, Harry Potter. Our new — _celebrity_."

"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion-making," he began. He spoke in barely more than a whisper, but they caught every word. "As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses ... I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even put a stopper on death — if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."

"Potter! What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?" Everyone in the class stopped what they were currently engaged with to watch this confrontation. The man continued on disregarding everyone's sudden attentiveness.

Iris couldn't clearly see Harry's face but was sure he was puzzled. His voice was soft and low, "I don't know, sir,"

At this Snape gave him a sneer and continued, "Tut, tut - fame clearly isn't everything." The contempt in his voice was clear, "Let's try again. Potter, where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?"

Harry hesitated to answer; Iris could tell that he was embarrassed. "I don't know sir." Iris could hear a blond boy and two others giggling in the front row. Hermione had raised her hand again in hope that Snape would chose her.

Snape coolly replied with, "Thought you wouldn't open a book before coming eh, Potter?" He was still ignoring Hermione's quivering hand.

"What is the difference, Potter, between monkshood and wolfsbane?"

At this, Hermione stood up, her hand stretching towards the dungeon ceiling.

"I don't know," said Harry quietly. "I think Hermione does, though, why don't you try asking her?"

A few people laughed; Harry caught sight of Seamus's eye and Seamus winked. Snape, however, was not pleased.

"Sit down," he snapped at Hermione. "For your information, Potter, asphodel and wormwood make a sleeping potion so powerful it is known as the Draught of Living Death. A bezoar is a stone taken from the stomach of a goat and it will save you from most poisons. As for monkshood and wolfsbane, they are the same plant, which also goes by the name of aconite. Well? Why aren't you all copying that down?"

There was a sudden rummaging for quills and parchment. Over the noise, Snape said, "And a point will be taken from Gryffindor house for your cheek, Potter."


	4. Chapter 4

In the course of the rest of the class Iris found that Snape seemed to favor the Slytherin house which was no surprise since he was the head of house. He showed much disgust with Gryffindor in particular especially singling out Harry, and a mousy brown haired girl who was seated next to him named Hermione who seemed to know the answer to all of the questions. She noticed that Snape was especially cruel to Neville who was a nervous wreck due to Snape's intimidating presence hovering over everyone like a giant bat.

Iris felt that she could have answered most of his questions but didn't want to be ignored as Hermione was so many times already. Snape for some reason didn't intimidate her as much as he seemed to scare the other Gryffindors.

When the dismissal bell rang for students to leave for their next class, most of the Gryffindors rushed from the room while Iris took her time packing her things. She swung her fiery red hair around her other shoulder as she hoisted her bag onto her other and proceeded to leave the dank dungeon.

Iris made her way up to the Defense against the Dark Arts class that seemed to be filled with the same students as Potions. The teacher, Professor Quirell had a speech impediment that made him rather hard to follow in conversation. He also was the teacher that had engaged Snape in conversation the previous night for he wore a velvety purple turban.

The class was somewhat interesting and stimulating. When the bell rang once more, Iris and the group of students made the way to their next classes. By the end of the day she had already been engulfed in mounds homework assignments.

Flying Lessons was the last class of the day and they had also been paired with the Slytherin students. The Gryffindors were on one side and Slytherins on the other. Malfoy had positioned himself in between his two cronies, Crabbe and Goyle who seemed to have no mind of their own, opposite Iris and was intent upon watching her.

When she had caught him, her green eyes burning into his grey ones, he gave her a sly smile. She looked away so that he wouldn't see her blush.

Madam Hooch the Quidditch referee had given the class the run down on the sport of flying and was now telling everyone to mount their brooms. Neville seemed to have lost control of his broom for it lifted off the ground without hesitation. Madam Hooch ran toward Neville but was too late to stop him and the broom went zooming off. Moments later he was hanging off of a statue by the scruff of his sweater.

The feeling that clung to Iris was that of fear and worry. Not even seconds later, Neville's sweater ripped and he came falling back to earth and landed with a loud crunch. Iris as well as many other students came running to Neville's side. Madam Hooch came emerging through the hysteria of students and went to help Neville off of the ground but found that he had broken his wrist in the accident.

Escorting him to Madam Pomfreys, Madam Hooch strictly warned against anyone ridding a broomstick. Once out of sight Malfoy had started to cause trouble.

"Did you see his face, the great lump?" The other Slytherins laughed along side him.

All of the things that Iris might have felt for Draco were gone in an instance. "Shut up, Malfoy!" Her green eyes burned into Malfoy with hatred.

Draco looked taken aback but recovered. "Ooh, stinking up for Longbottom? Never thought you'd like fat little cry babies, Blackthorne," sneered Pansy Parkinson, a Slytherin girl. Iris was eager to grab for her wand. She wanted to hex the sneer off of her smug, ugly face.

Malfoy moved forward and picked something up off of the ground where Neville had been lying moments before. "Look! It's that stupid thing Longbottom's gran sent him."

Iris made to move for the Remembrall but Draco had straddled the broom he was holding. "Give it back Malfoy!" The anger in Iris was surfacing. Malfoy nastily smiled at her almost to taunt her.

"I think I'll leave it some where for Longbottom to find - how about - up a tree?" Iris had half a mind to get on a broom and chase Malfoy for the Remembrall but Harry had already seemed to beat her to it.

Above them, Iris could here Harry yell, "Give it here Malfoy or I'll knock you off your broom!" He sounded just as angry as Iris felt. In seconds Malfoy had thrown the Remembrall over Harry's head, towards the castle.

Zooming to its rescue Harry miraculously caught it but the moment was short lived for Professor McGonagall had come out of her classroom, "HARRY POTTER! Never - in all my time at Hogwarts -," she sounded utterly furious, "How dare you - might have broken your neck -!"

Iris couldn't help but speak for it wasn't Harry's fault, "But Professor it wasn't him, it was Malfoy!" McGonagall had held up her hand to shush Iris.

"That's enough, Potter, come with me, now." Iris had a grim expression on her face as she watched Professor McGonagall and Harry leave.

To finish her homework Iris had stayed up past the time that she had planned and expected to be in bed. Luckily she wasn't the only one still up past bed hours. The three others were Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and another small redhead boy who somehow reminded her of the two twins that she had met at breakfast.

Around eleven o'clock Iris finished and slinked off to bed, defeated by her first day of the new term.

Many weeks into term and Iris awoke to the feeling that someone was watching her. She sat up in her bed and looked around the girl's dormitory; there was absolutely nothing there.

Without any further thought on the matter, Iris looked over to the clock that ticked softly on her bedside table, which had read only four o'clock. With a exasperated groan of annoyance at the bird that had woke her, Iris turned back over and tried as she might to be once again overcome by sleep.

Charms class was first thing the next morning and Iris had almost been late for she overslept. She rushed to the class and on the way she caught sight of another straggler.

The boy had white blond hair and sharp features. She had to admit he was rather cute. At the sight of him she stopped mid-step and recognized him as one of the Slytherins from Potions class and Flying lessons, the one who was showing off. Immediately Iris scolded herself for thinking such thoughts. Iris only thought was how she hadn't noticed him before.

The boy by the name of Draco Malfoy gave her a coy smile and Iris couldn't help but blush scarlet. As he entered the class room she followed.

The Charms teacher was a rather short man and had a high squeaky voice. "Today class, we will be learning the basic hover charm '_Wingardium Leviosa.'_ Now in front of everyone is a white feather that you will be practicing on. The movement used is a 'swish and flick'. Well go on everyone, give it a try." At this everyone had their wands at the ready and was giving it a go.

From everywhere Iris heard people muttering the incantation and making the movement. Trying it for the first time Iris did not succeed but her confidence didn't falter. Hermione was seen as the first to achieve the task, then Iris.

Seamus Finnegan, whom was sitting in front of her, was trying without attainment of his frivolous goal gave one more agitated wave of his wand and his feather blew up in his face. Everyone in the local vicinity jumped at the explosion. His face was inked with black and his hair was on end. Harry had muttered something about needing another feather.


	5. Chapter 5

After an eventful Charms class they all headed to Professor McGonagall's class for another Transfiguration class. This class was by far one of Iris's favorite classes above others. During this class they had all received a small animal and were to turn them into a glass drinking goblet. Iris was handed a lizard that didn't move much and seemed uninterested in what was about to happen to it.

"_Fera Verto,"_ Iris spoke clearly and the lizard hadn't budged. Neville, who was sitting beside her as usual with his arm in a sling from flying lessons, was having less luck than Iris. Neville brought Trevor his enormous toad that seemed to be trying to jump off the desk every time Neville tried to cast the spell.

By the end of class Iris had exceeded the progress of some of the other students with Hermione being the exception. The only thing that hadn't gone according to her expectations was that the lizard's tail had failed to become part of the goblet. It just seemed to waggle nonchalantly as the rest of its body was encased in glass.

The first Quidditch match was approaching and the good news was that Harry had made team seeker. Iris found out from the twins after the incident with Malfoy in flying lessons the other day. Fred and George were both Beaters whose job it was to try and hit the bludgers away from their teammates.

When the day had come for the big game everyone was either wearing red and gold or green and silver. Iris stood on the Gryffindor side of the Stadium which was enormously spacious with three hoops on each ends for the quaffle to score points for their team.

As the game started each side tried to out yell the other to see what team had the most support. It had appeared to Iris's judgment, that Gryffindor had more followers. Within five minutes of the game starting Gryffindor had already scored.

After some moments of intense action on the field Lee Jordan, the announcer, had seen something. In the middle of his commentary all that was heard was, "-Wait a moment- was that the Snitch?" The crowd roared with anticipation on both sides.

Harry and Terence Higgs were neck and neck chasing after the Snitch. Then Marcus Flint rammed straight into Harry to prevent him from reaching his goal before Higgs. In the outraged cries from the Gryffindors, Flint had been pulled aside and Gryffindor was allowed a free shot at the goal post but in the chaos Harry had lost sight of the Snitch.

When he had managed to redirect himself to scour the field for it his broom gave a dreadful lurch. He had resumed a mere few feet when he had just narrowly escaped a passing bludgers then his broom had completely lost control. It was trying to buck him off while it took him higher and higher still.

Iris caught a glimpse from across the stadium and saw what she thought was Snape frantically muttering some counter curse or incantation but was maintaining steady eye contact with Harry. Iris thought this strange but then realized that Quirell was doing the same but he had a much more relaxed way about him.

This made Iris consider who was cursing Harry's broom and who was trying to stop it. Snape seemed to be scared that something might happen if he was caught so he was panicking. But it could be the other way around where Quirell was casting the curse but Snape was feverishly trying to counter it.

Either way Hermione who was standing only a few yards away and had decided to take action against whatever was happening. Some moments later, Snape had stood up as if his cloak had been set fire to. Quirell had lost his balance and eye contact which seemed to in turn cause Harry's broom to not buck him off.

With Harry on his broom right he was able to resume his chase for the Snitch. Though elusive and small, Harry had spotted it once more and pursued it. Only moments later to have launched off of his broom and the Snitch disappeared once more.

The crowd including Iris had gone silent waiting for Harry push himself up off of the ground. When he did the Snitch inconspicuously popped out of his mouth and into his hands. The Gryffindor crowd went completely insane with cheers and applause. Later that day after the game there was a celebration in the common room of Gryffindor tower.

With being so engrossed in her studies, Iris hadn't realized that it was Halloween until she had arrived in the Great Hall for dinner that night. She sat at her usual spot with Neville on one side and the twins on the other side along with Dean Thomas and Seamus sitting across from her.

They were all in deep conversation when Professor Quirell had burst through the thick doors and was incessantly yelling before fainting in the middle of the Great Hall, "There's a troll in the dungeon!"

With a sudden air of panic, students started to rise from their seats and scream and run with fright. Iris had a panicked feeling rising in her chest but she remained seated and didn't scream. She had never seen a real troll so she didn't know what she was being afraid of.

Dumbledore stood at once at the sight of the abrupt chaos, "SILENCE!" His voice echoes through the hall. He had then proceeded to tell all of the prefects to escort all of the students back to their houses.

Once they had returned to the Gryffindor common room there was a constant buzz of chatter in Iris's ear. There were some girls huddled in a corner fretting over what would happen if the troll had made its way upstairs.

Iris sat on the couch between the twins listening to them also contemplating the troll, occasionally joining in. As Iris had looked around she had noticed that Ron, Harry and Hermione were absent from the scene. She was left to ponder if the three of them had tried to apprehend the creature.

After about thirty minutes had past the three missing students had made there way back into the common room seemingly unnoticed by the other students.

After the feeling of overwhelming fear had past at the announcement that the troll had been removed, Iris felt that it was time for bed once again.


	6. Chapter 6

As the year progressed forward, Iris had barely noticed that it was almost the end of her first year at Hogwarts. For the holidays Iris had decided that she would rather stay at school than return to the orphanage were she had no family to spend with.

She found that not many students had stayed for the holidays usually but to her surprise, Iris found Ron and Harry also stayed which was somewhat of a comfort.

Before long it was the last day of school and they had been awarded the House Cup on what seemed to be technicalities but all together was a much appreciated reward.

On the train ride back to King's Cross Station, Iris sat with Neville as if it were the first departure from Platform 9 3/4. Their friendship seemed to blossom the more time they spent together and the more they knew about each other.

As the Hogwarts Express came to a slow rolling stop all of the students had exited their cars onto the train's platform where most of them had family awaiting them. All Iris had was Ms. Fagan who had come to retrieve her to bring her back to the orphanage.

Iris waved to Neville as he joined his grandmother and yelled "I'll write to you this summer!" This gave Iris the feeling of great euphoria as it would be her one connected to the Wizarding World.

For the rest of the summer there would be only the anxious feeling of waiting to receive her letter from Neville and Hogwarts for supplies.

A few weeks into summer Iris had received Neville's letter. She read it and reread it multiple times trying to figure out what to write back. The owl that delivered it perched on her desk chair.

_Iris, I hope you are having a good summer, Gran says that the Hogwarts letters usually come mid July so maybe if everything works out we could go shopping at Diagon Alley together for our new supplies, if it's alright with you and your parents. Maybe you can get an owl or a cat of your own when we go._

_So far I haven't done much. How about you? I was thinking that when we get back to Hogwarts that maybe you could help me a little in Potions since you are pretty good at it and I'm just dreadful at it. _

_I hope that you get this letter and can send one back. I don't know how long the owl will stay there he tends to do as he pleases. Sincerely, Neville_

Tears were working there way down Iris's face. She hadn't told Neville about her parents nor had she planned on it for now anyway. For a minute Iris thought about why Neville hadn't been living with his parents and wondered if he was in the same predicament.

Iris took out a quill and some parchment to write her response down for the owl to bring back to Neville.

_Neville, I am very glad to hear from you. My summer had been like any other. I haven't been doing much except for reading some of last years textbooks which believe me isn't as fun as it sounds. I can't wait to get back to Hogwarts and start the new term. I would also greatly enjoy going to Diagon Alley with you and your Gran. Also I will help you in Potions and hopefully we won't get in trouble from Snape._

_Please send me the information of when we will be going to Diagon Alley. Sincerely, Iris_

As Iris finished her letter she tied it to the outstretched leg of the barn owl that was lazily lulling its great head.

About a week after Iris had sent her letter she received the much anticipated information on when they would meet. They met and shopped for their perspective supplies and then just wondered the shops of Diagon Alley.

The night before Iris was to leave for Hogwarts aboard the Hogwarts Express she dreamt of a hooded figure masked by heavy shadows. He had arrived at a single family house that looked somewhat downtrodden yet quaint. He had seemed to fly on the wind as he made his way aggressively into the shack not yet being noticed.

Iris twisted and turned in her sleep frantically as the figure came upon a young man and woman who seemed vaguely familiar to her. He raised his wand and spoke in a hissing, snakelike tongue that Iris couldn't understand; it was menacing and unnatural.

Iris could feel the burn of the green light that shot from the tip of his wand as it instantly killed the couple. She felt that she had been hit with the impact of the curse.

Iris woke with sudden start in a cold drenched sweat; her legs were ensnared in her sheets that had come loose from the mattress. She raised her shaking hands to her chest where the curse had hit the pair.

Iris tried to wipe the sweat from her face, neck and arms; when she finally settled back into her now made bed, she attempted to evade sleep as long as she could pondering her nightmare. When she couldn't any longer she let it take over.


	7. Second Year

**Hello there :) I hope everyone is doing well! This is the second installment of my 7 part Harry Potter story. If you read the first one 'All in Due Time' I apologize if it was slow and boring, things start to pick up more in this and the third year stories. I hope you enjoy :) Reviews always welcome!**

**Second Year**

The next day Iris and Neville along with familiar faces and some new were heading back to the one place that Iris loved most in the world. Hogwarts was where she felt she belonged.

Once back on the scarlet red steam engine, Neville and Iris had joined a small girl who they had not recognized as someone in their year. The girl had long golden blond hair that cascaded down her back and over her shoulders. She also had a magazine by the name of _'The Quibbler'_ clutched to her chest.

Iris decided to introduce herself first, "Hello, I'm Iris Blackthorne." Neville added, "And I'm Neville Longbottom."

The girl looked at her with the most serine look that she had ever seen. She gave Iris the impression that she was in a constant sense of dazing of into space and airiness. Even when she spoke her voice was melodic and calming, "Hello, Luna Lovegood."

Iris smiled, "So what are you reading? Is it anything good?" Luna replied, "Oh yes! It is all very good. My dad is the editor!" Luna seemed to become more alive when she mentioned that her dad was editor.

Another red headed girl had asked to join, she introduced herself, "Hello, I'm Ginny Weasley." Her smile was bright and perfect. A strange thought had hit Iris; the thought of how much they both looked alike with the exception of eye color and maybe height. Ginny had dark brown eyes while Iris had brilliant green.

The conversation of _'The Quibbler'_ held all the way to the Hogsmeade station. When they had exited the train they had said their good-bye's to Luna for she had to join the other first years to cross the lake in the boats that not so long ago they had ridden in making their way towards the castle.

After the sorting and heading back to the dormitories Iris crashed on her old bed, glad to be back in the castle's safe walls.

Next morning at breakfast when Iris received her schedule she noticed that none of her classes had really changed. She still had Professor Snape, Flitwick, McGonagall, and Sprout but there was a new addition. His name was Gilderoy Lockhart who seemed to be replacing Professor Quirell.

There was also a rumor that Harry and Ron had missed the train and that they had taken a flying car to school and had also on top of everything else, crashed it into the Whomping Willow.

It had been apparently one of the few true rumors because Ron ended up getting a Howler. The shrill screams of his mother echoed throughout the entire Great Hall. Iris caught bits in pieces through her covered ears. "-STEALING THE CAR, I WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN SURPRISED IF THEY'D EXPELLED YOU, YOU WAIT TILL I GET A HOLD OF YOU, I DON'T SUPPOSE YOU STOPPED TO THINK WHAT YOUR FATHER AND I WENT THROUGH WHEN WE SAW IT WAS GONE-LETTER FROM DUMBLEDORE LAST NIGHT, I THOUGHT YOUR FATHER WOULD DIE OF SHAME, WE DIDN'T BRING YOU UP TO BEHAVE LIKE THIS, YOU AND HARRY COULD BOTH HAVE DIED-ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTED-YOUR FATHER'S FACING AND INQUIRY AT WORK, IT'S ENTIRELY YOUR FAULT AND IF YOU PUT ANOTHER TOE OUT OF LINE WE'LL BRING YOU STRAIGHT HOME."

Then the envelope had burst into flames and shriveled in its ashes, leaving them in a small still pile in front of Ron. He had sunk so low in his chair that only his red forehead was visible over the table. When the attention that the Howler had brought along with it had died away it was time to go to class.

Her first class of the day was Potions. Great thought Iris, another year of Professor Snape's prejudice against the Gryffindors. It wasn't so much her that Snape had disliked it was his incessant bullying of Neville, Harry, Hermione and Ron. As far as Iris was concerned, Snape had never said anything ill against her or her potions even when she did make a mistake.

Herbology, Transfigurations and Defense Against the Dark Arts were to follow Potions. Each of them had come rather easily to Iris who had made top marks last year, right behind Hermione which wasn't much of a surprise.

The start of the year was slow and dragging. Classes seemed almost mundane and unchallenging to Iris until one day in Herbology Professor Sprout came in and announced, "We'll be repotting Mandrakes today. Now, who can tell me the properties of the Mandrake?" Iris and Hermione had raised their hands only a fraction of a second apart but Sprout had chosen Hermione over her.

"Mandrake or Mandragora is a power restorative. It is used to return people who have been transfigured or cursed to their original state."

"Excellent. Ten points to Gryffindor," replied Professor Sprout. "The Mandrake forms and essential part of most antidotes, it is also however, dangerous. Who can tell me why?"

For the first time Iris's hand was up before Hermione's. "The cry of the Mandrake is fatal to anyone who hears it." Proud of herself, Iris felt a sense of triumph.

"Precisely, take another ten points for Gryffindor. Now, the Mandrakes we have here are still very young." Iris looked to where Professor Sprout had been pointing and saw a tray with about a hundred or more were growing there. The Mandrakes were the purplish-green in color and had tufty little leaves pouring out of their heads. "Everyone take a pair of earmuffs and when I tell you to put them on make sure they completely cover your ears. When it's safe to take them off I will give the thumbs up. Right-earmuffs on," implored Professor Sprout.

Professor Sprout had continued the lesson by pulling out one of the tufty looking plants by its leaves. It was ugly and disgusting looking; it looked like a wrinkled old baby covered in earth. It seemed to be shrieking at the top of its tiny lungs but Iris could not hear it due to the earmuffs but she imagined that it was unbearable. She then proceeded to place it in a plant pot and covered it with potting soil until it was completely covered once more.

As Professor Sprout gave them the thumbs up to take off their earmuffs she continued to lecture about the Mandrakes, "As our mandrakes are only seedlings their cries won't kill yet. However they will knock you out for several hours, and I'm sure none of you want to miss your first day back, make sure your earmuffs are securely in place while you work. I will attract your attention when it is time to pick up."

Iris had partnered with Neville, Dean and Seamus who Iris thought a little ridiculous wearing pink fluffy earmuffs.

They had all managed to repot at least one Mandrake by the end of the class but just barely. When they got the signal to clean up, Iris looked around and saw that so many others looked like her, covered in sweat, and earth.

Once they washed up all of them hurried to Transfigurations were they were to change a beetle into a button. Ron seemed to be having a difficult time with the lesson due to the fact that his wand had broken and was know held together with Spell-o-Tape. Iris, being decent at Transfigurations, had accomplished this feat in no time at all.

"What class do we have next?" asked Neville in an exhausted voice. He was lagging behind Iris but was trying to catch up.

"We have Defense Against the Dark Arts," sighed Iris. She wondered how different the class would be with a completely new teacher, but before they reported to class they had gotten lunch and then Iris went to go join Fred and George in the Courtyard. They had become good friends since the day they had met in the beginning of first year. They had always managed to make her laugh.

While sitting and chattering with Fred and George, Iris had noticed that Draco Malfoy was antagonizing a boy who was taking pictures of Harry out of the corner of her bright green eye. Harry had seemed to lose himself in his anger at Malfoy but Gilderoy Lockhart had appeared. He had golden hair and a white smile, the whitest that Iris had ever seen. Lockhart had given off the air of being a showoff of invisible talent.

He had apparently broken up the confrontation but it appeared that Harry was mortified by the encounter. Fred and George had been sniggering madly when Lockhart grabbed Harry and had the boy holding the camera taking a picture of the both of them. When Iris had departed for her next class she told the twins that she would see them at dinner.

When the class had finally been seated in Quirell's former classroom, Lockhart had emerged from his office. He picked up Neville's copy of _'Travels with Trolls'_ and showed the class a winking portrait of himself to the class. "Me. Gilderoy Lockhart, Order of Merlin, Third Class, Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defense League, and five-time winner of _Witch Weekly's_ Most-Charming-Smile Award - but I don't talk about that. I didn't get rid of the Bandon Banshee by _smiling_ at her!" He paused to see their reactions but when he didn't see one he continued.

"I see you've all bought a complete set of my books-well done. I thought that we'd start today with a little quiz. Nothing to worry about-just to check how well you've read them, how much you've taken in-. You will have thirty minutes-start-now!"

He handed out the quiz as Iris had looked down to scan its content. It contained nothing but questions pertaining to his personal self.

What is Gilderoy Lockhart's favorite color?

What is Gilderoy Lockhart's secret ambition?

What in your opinion is Gilderoy Lockhart's greatest achievement to date?

The questions were ignorant and on and on they went. Half an hour later, Lockhart came around the room and collected the quizzes with a look of mirth spread across his flawless face, but it changed as he perused through them. It had seemed that everyone was just as clueless as everyone else.

"Tut, tut- hardly any of you remembered that my favorite color is lilac. I say so in _'Year of the Yeti.'_… But Miss Granger knew my secret ambition is to rid the world of evil and market my own range of hair-care products-good girl! In fact full marks! Where is Miss Hermione Granger?"

Hermione raised a hand that seemed to be quivering with excitement. "Excellent! Quite Excellent! Take ten points for Gryffindor! And so-to business-, now be warned! It is my job to arm you against the foulest creatures known to wizard kind! You may find yourselves facing your worst fears in this very room. Know that no harm will befall you whilst I'm here. All I ask is that you remain calm."

Iris wasn't too impressed with Lockhart at all. Seamus and Dean had started laughing uncontrollably. Neville however was cowering next to her in his seat. "I must ask you to remain calm. It might provoke them!" As soon as Lockhart had removed the cover of the cage that was on his desk Seamus gave a snort. The Pixies were electric blue with a high pitch squeak for speech.

"Cornish Pixies?" Seamus couldn't help himself.

Lockhart retorted, "Freshly caught Cornish Pixies!"

Still snickering Seamus exclaimed, "Well-they're not very-dangerous are they?"

"Don't be so sure! Devilish tricky little blighters they can be! Right then-let's see what you make of them." Lockhart opened the cage and they flew out like lightning.

Some of the Pixies had flown right for the windows and had managed to break through. A group of them had lifted Neville up from his seat and had successfully hooked his sweater on the chandelier above. Pictures had been torn off of the walls and glass sprayed over the floor while others had dragged book bags across the room and strewn books everywhere. "Come on now-round them up, round them up, there only Pixies," demanded Lockhart.

Iris had tried to make an effort in trying to immobilize the Pixies but for every Pixie she stopped the more there seemed to be. Lockhart had come out from hiding under his desk, brandishing his wand, he bellowed, _"Peskipiksi Pesternomi!"_ The incantation had seemed to do nothing at all. He dove back under his desk when one of the Pixies seized his wand and through it out the window.

The bell rang and Neville was still stuck on the chandelier. Iris called up to him, "I'll go find someone who can help get you down!" In the clamber of students Iris had to resort to yelling so that Neville had heard her.

Before she could get out of the door Lockhart had cut in front of her, "Well, I'll just ask you to nip them back into their cage." He ran out the door as fast as he could and shut it behind him.

Yanking the door back open, Iris ran down the hall trying to find a Professor that was competent enough to help her. Instead she ran into Snape but thought that he hadn't noticed her so she sprinted past but was stopped by a silky voice, "Miss Blackthorne, where do you think you are running off to?" Iris froze and turned to face him.

Snape walked closer to her and asked again; his sallow face only inches from hers. "Where do you think you are running off to?" Iris relinquished a deep sigh.

"I was going to get help because Neville is hanging from the chandelier." Snape bore his black eyes into her and she wanted to look away but couldn't. She felt like a moth to the flame; her being the moth and him the flame.

He spoke first, "Well that isn't a surprise. Do tell how he came to be hanging from this chandelier." His tone was full of contentment.

She had retold the tale of the Cornish Pixies and Snape had stood up straight. "I dare say that we should go and help the incompetent boy." Iris could feel anger rising inside of her for his insulting Neville but she held her tongue. She had to at least be thankful that he was helping her.

Defense Against the Dark Arts had seemed to have gone to the dogs, in Iris's opinion. Gilderoy Lockhart was the biggest fraud she had ever met. He was pompous and full of himself and Iris had the impression that he had been taking credit for other great witches and wizards' achievements'.


	8. Chapter 8

Fred and George had been waiting for Iris to come out of her last class to go down to dinner but found her coming their way with Professor Snape.

They Fred gave Iris a cheeky smile but George did not. When she returned with Neville in tow, they finally made there way to dinner.

Over the next few days Iris had dreaded going back to Defense Against the Dark Arts because she would once more have to endure Lockhart's teaching.

She had a break before she left for Lockhart's class and Iris was yet again seated with Fred and George and they were exchanging jokes. They were both dressed in their Quidditch robes because they had practice shortly after.

"What kind of hair do merpeople have?" George had asked. Iris looked at them waiting for them to reveal the answer.

"Wavey hair!" Fred said with mirth coating his voice. Iris couldn't help but laugh at the cheesy jokes that they were always telling her.

Her laughter was broken by yet another Harry, Draco confrontation but this time it included both the Gryffindor and Slytherin Quidditch teams. Fred and George had gone over to join the confrontation, "Stay here," George had told her as he got up from the bench.

Even though they were some feet away, Iris could hear them perfectly. Oliver Wood, the Gryffindor Captain had exclaimed, "But I booked the field today! I booked it." Marcus Flint who was much bigger than Wood and was Slytherin Captain showed him a note. Wood had read it aloud.

_'I, Professor S. Snape, give the Slytherin team permission to practice today on the Quidditch field owing to the need to train their new seeker.'_

"You have a new Seeker? Where?" demanded Wood. Iris had a perfect view from her bench and saw Malfoy emerge from the bushel of players.

"Aren't you Lucius Malfoy's son?" inquired Fred with disgust.

"Funny you should mention Draco's father. Let me show you the generous gifts he's made to the Slytherin team," remarked Flint. All of the players had presented the Gryffindors with their new brooms; the '_Nimbus Two Thousand and Ones.'_

"Very latest model only came out last month," continued Flint with a hint of superiority in his voice. "I believe it outstrips the old 'Two Thousand' series by a considerable amount. As for the Cleansweep-sweeps the board with them." He gave Fred and George a nasty smirk that Iris wish she could have wiped of his face.

As Ron and Hermione had reached the fuming Gryffindor team Flint spoke once more, "Oh look, a field invasion."

Ron spoke out, "What's happening? Why aren't you playing? And what's he doing here?" The color in Ron's face was rising.

Draco spoke to answer his questions, "I'm the new Slytherin Seeker, Weasley. Everyone's just been admiring the brooms my father had bought our team." Malfoy watched as Ron gaped at the new pristine brooms. "Good aren't they? But perhaps the Gryffindor team will be able to raise some gold and get new brooms, too. You could raffle off those Cleansweep Fives; I expect a museum would bid for them."

By this time Iris had gotten up off the bench and was trying to restrain Fred and George from beating in Malfoy's face. The Slytherin team howled with maniacal laughter of Draco's comment and Iris's attempt to stop the twins.

Hermione had had enough and broke in, "At least no one on Gryffindor team had to _buy_ their way in. _They_ got in on pure talent."

The smug look on Malfoy's face faltered. "No one asked your opinion, you filthy little Mudblood," he spat.

The whole vicinity of Gryffindors had gasped at the word. Iris had vaguely known what the word meant but had a pretty good idea and it wasn't good. "HOW DARE YOU!" Iris drew her wand but the twins had grabbed before she could hex him.

The Slytherins laughed at her attempt. Ron had also taken out his poorly repaired wand, "You'll pay for that one, Malfoy!" A flash of light had issued from the wrong end and Ron lay on the grass. The color that had furiously risen in his face moments before had drained away completely.

"Ron! Ron! Are you all right?" squealed Hermione.

As Ron opened his mouth to speak he belched out several slugs instead. "We'd better get him to Hagrid's its nearest." Harry sounded panicked.

As they dragged Ron along to Hagrid's hut Collin Creevey had been trailing after them to get a picture of Ron.

Iris had started to struggle in the twin's grip. She was trying to get a clear shot at any of the Slytherins for still laughing at the unfortunate situation but they had carried her away from the scene.

When they had finally released her all of them were fuming once more. How could they be so insensitive and cruel? How could they stand there and still laugh after what had happened? And how could Malfoy use such a foul word?


	9. Chapter 9

On her way back to the common room after the rest of classes and dinner with Fred and George, Iris had thought she heard the voices of Harry, Hermione and Ron. Iris couldn't immediately make out what they were talking about but it became quite clear when she arrived on the scene. Soon after they had arrived, everyone else appeared moments later.

Mr. Filch's cat had been what appeared to be hung from her tail on a torch and was unmoving. Sprawled on the wall in what appeared to be blood were the words, _'THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED. ENEMIES OF THE HEIR, BEWARE.'_ Iris had a sudden feeling that she couldn't stand to continue to look at the sight of the lifeless cat and the haunting words. She was overwhelmed by sudden fear. She had turned into George to try and hide herself and he held her; protecting her.

Draco pushed past Iris and was in the front of the crowd. "Enemies of the Heir, beware! You'll be next Mudbloods!"

It was only moment before Filch arrived on the horrid scene. "My cat! My cat! What's happened to Mrs. Norris?" His eyes seemed to drag over the crowd of students and then they landed on Harry. "You! You murdered my cat! You've killed her! I'll kill you! I'll-!"

Dumbledore's voice came from the end of the hallway followed my many other teachers. "Argus!" He walked over to the torch bracket that the immobile cat had been hung on. "Come with me Argus, you too Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley and Miss. Granger.

Iris could hear Lockhart's voice but it was muffled by George's shirt. "My office is nearest, Headmaster-just upstairs-please feel free-."

"Thank you, Gilderoy" Dumbledore and the other teachers dispersed along with the crowd of students.

George gave Iris a light squeeze and he redirected them back towards the common room. When they arrived he whispered in her ear softly, "Are you alright?"

Iris looked up at him, "Yeah, I just don't know what happened to me. I'm sorry." She gave him a shy smile.

"It was no problem." George was sweet, Iris thought to herself as he walked over to sit with Lee Jordan and Fred.

Iris felt Fred and George watching her as she walked upstairs and was ready to go to bed but not before remembering to do her mounds of never ending homework.

The next day came too quickly for Iris. In Lockhart's class, he had not brought in another live thing again but decided to read passages from his terrible books and acted out the more dramatic scenes with great vigor.

The Quidditch game between Gryffindor and Slytherin was tomorrow and Iris couldn't wait for Gryffindor to slaughter the Slytherin team.

The day finally came for the much awaited Quidditch game. Iris ran over to the team before they entered the locker room, "Good Luck!" Finally taking her place next to Ginny in the stands, Iris awaited the game to start.

Lee Jordan was commentating once more and McGonagall stood nearby to make sure he was staying on task. Madam Hooch stood in the middle of the stadium, "On my whistle, Three…two…one!" The whistle sounded and the players kicked off from the ground.

The crowd roared with excitement. But for Iris, the excitement was short lived. Harry was being chased by a bludger that wouldn't relent. He was searching for the Snitch whilst it was attacking; Fred and George where trying to hit the bludger off Harry's tail but it seemed magnetically attracted to Harry.

While Fred and George were trying to protect Harry, Slytherin had scored sixty points. While Harry was in pursuit of the Snitch the rouge bludger had hit him in the arm. He fell off of his broom but not before he caught the Snitch, then he seemed to have fainted.

Iris and Ginny, who was screaming their support the whole time, had both stood up at the same time; worry and fear was etched into both of their faces. The crowd had gone completely silent.

It had started to rain as Gilderoy Lockhart had made his way over to Harry who had become conscience once more. Iris was trying to get a good look at what was going but there was a huddle of people around him, including the Gryffindor team.

A few of the people had moved and Iris could see Lockhart trying to mend Harry's broken arm. Iris saw with disgust that Harry's arm was limp and was unnaturally flexible, bent all the way back to his elbow. Lockhart had completely removed the bones from his arm.

Once they had taken Harry to the Hospital Wing to regrow his bones, everyone returned back to their common room.


	10. Chapter 10

Next morning, Iris heard that the small Creevey boy, who liked to take pictures, had been the next victim. It had seemed that he was in the condition that Mrs. Norris; petrified.

In Potions that day, they had class in the dungeons, as usual and they were given the ingredients needed for the concoctions. Snape was making his prowl around the class and making his snide remarks to Neville who was having enough trouble without Snape being there.

In the midst of Iris making her potion, Snape had gazed into her cauldron and made a slight grunting noise, which seemed like a good sign coming from Snape, and walked off.

When Snape had returned a few minutes later to bully Neville over the mess he made, there was the sound of a firework being lit. Then there was an explosion in Goyle's cauldron which caused the Swelling Solution to spray everyone in the classroom who hadn't been expecting it. Iris had been one of the lucky ones and had ducked at the sound of the lit firework that must have been Fred's.

Everyone who had been hit had started to panic. Draco had gotten a face full of it and his nose had swell to an enormous size while Goyle had covered his eyes which had grown to the size of dinner plates.

Iris couldn't help but laugh at the chaos that it had created. Snape on the other hand was furious, "Silence! SILENCE! Anyone who had been splashed, come her for a Deflating Draft-when I find out who did this-." As most of the class came forward they receive some antidote.

"If I ever find out who throw this, I shall make sure that person is expelled." The tone in his voice could have easily killed. The bell rang and everyone was relieved to escape the tension filled dungeon.

In the entrance hall, Iris had caught sight of the notice board saying that there would be a Dueling Club with lessons starting that night. Iris could hear Seamus behind her, "They're starting a Dueling Club! First meetings tonight! I wouldn't mind dueling lessons; they might come in handy one of these days.

Iris stood with in the Great Hall with her fellow students had been waiting for the instructor who to Iris's great dissatisfaction was none other than Gilderoy Lockhart. Professor Snape also accompanied him.

"Now, Professor Dumbledore had granted me permission to start this little Dueling Club, to train you all in case you every have to defend yourselves as I myself have done on countless occasions-for full details, see my published works. Let me introduce my assistant, Professor Snape. He tells me he knows a tiny little bit about dueling himself and has sportingly agreed to help me with a short demonstration before we begin. Now I don't want any of you youngsters to worry-you'll still have your Potions master when I'm through with him, never fear."

Lockhart and Snape faced each other and attempted to bow to each other but unsuccessfully. Then they had brandished their wands like swords. "As you see, we are holding our wands in the acceptable combative position. On the count of three we will cast our first spells. Neither of us will be aiming to kill of course."

Iris heard Harry; "I wouldn't bet on it." she smiled at the snarky remark.

Lockhart had raised his voice, "One-two-three!"

Snape cried, _"Expelliarmus!"_ Lockhart was blasted into the wall behind him as a flash of brilliant red issued from Snapes wand and hit its target.

"That was a Disarming Charm - as you see, I've lost my wand - ah, thank you, Miss Brown - yes, an excellent idea to show them that, Professor Snape, but if you don't mind my saying so, it was very obvious what you were about to do. If I had wanted to stop you, it would have been only too easy - however, I felt it would be instructive to let them see..."Snape was looking murderous. "Enough demonstrating! I'm going to come amongst you now ad put you all in pairs. Professor Snape if you'd like you to help me."

Snape had jeered at Harry and Ron, "Time to split up the dream team, I think. Weasley, you can partner Finnegan, Potter-." As Harry moved towards Hermione, Snape said, "I don't think so, Mr. Malfoy come over here. Let's see what you make of the famous Harry Potter. And you Miss Granger-partner with Miss Bulstrode."

As Lockhart and Snape made there way around, Snape had paired Iris with Dean Thomas. Lockhart's voice came from somewhere in the crowd of students, "Face your partners and bow! Wands at the ready! When I count to three, cast your charms to disarm your opponent-only to disarm them-we don't want any accidents! One…two…three!"

_"Expelliarmus!" _Iris had reacted a little faster than Dean and his wand flew out of his hand. Snape, who was standing nearby watching, caught it before it hit the floor. He had a pleased look on his face as he handed Dean back his wand.

Iris had seemed to hear Draco cast his charm early. It had knocked Harry clean off his feet. Then Harry had yelled _"Rictusempra!"_

Lockhart screamed, "I said disarm only!"

In the middle of Malfoy's laughing fit he pointed his wand at Harry and chocked out, _"Tarantallengra!"_

Iris could still hear Lockhart over the commotion, "Stop! Stop!" His words seemed to be of no use for Harry's legs had started to involuntarily jerk about.

At this point, Snape had taken over, _"Finite Incantatum!"_ Both boys had stopped completely. There was a sudden flash of green smoke over Neville and Justin Finch-Fletchley. Ron was holding up Seamus who had seemed to have been caught in the middle of an explosion and then there was Millicent and Hermione wrestling on the floor. Harry made to grab Millicent off of her.

Lockhart came through the crowd, examining the damage. "Dear, dear-up you go, Macmillan…Careful there Miss Fawcett…Pinch it, it will stop bleeding in a second, Boot-. I think I'd better teach you how to bloc unfriendly spells. Let's get a volunteer pair-Longbottom and Finch-Fletchley, how about you?"

"A bad idea," replied Snape, "Longbottom causes devastation with the simplest spells. We'll be sending what's left of Finch-Fletchley up to the Hospital Wing in a matchbox. How about Malfoy and Potter?" Everyone had backed away from the center of the hall to give them some room.

"Excellent idea! Now Harry, when Draco points his wand at you, do this," He acted out a complicated looking movement and then his wand flew out of his hand. "Whoops-my wand is a little overexcited."

Harry had asked inquiringly to Lockhart, "Professor, could you show me that blocking thing again?"

Lockhart cuffed Harry merrily on the shoulder. "Just do what I did, Harry!"

"What, drop my wand?" asked Harry but Lockhart hadn't hear him.

"Three…two…one," shouted Lockhart.

Malfoy bellowed, _"Serpensortia!"_ As he said it, a snake burst from the end of his wand causing a panic in the gathering of students.

Snape's voice came through the air, "Don't move, Potter, I'll get rid of it…"

As Snape made to move for the snake, Lockhart brandished his wand and shouted, "Allow me!" This must be a joke Iris thought, who would let him do anything?

Lockhart cast a spell at the snake but all that happened was that it flew ten feet into the air. The snake had aggressively made its way over the edge of the crowd and was staring at Justin. It bore its fangs at him as Harry moved towards it. He seemed to be speaking in a soft hissing language that was similar to a snake. The snake had backed down and retreated some. "What do you think you're playing at?" Justin exclaimed before running from the hall.

Snape took a few steps toward the now docile snake and had flicked his wand and the snake disappeared in a puff of inky smoke.

Everyone had been staring at Harry, including Iris. She had heard that language so long ago that it almost didn't seem real. The rush of memories was so great that tears filled her eyes.

Ron had grabbed Harry and dragged him from the Great Hall, "Come on-move! -come on!" Hermione was trailing after them.


	11. Chapter 11

The next day had come and gone and it was almost time for Transfigurations. Iris heard Peeves the Poltergeist in the hallway screaming, "ATTACK! ATTACK! ANOTHER ATTACK! NO MORTAL OR GHOST IS SAFE! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES! ATTAAAACK!" Iris ran for the door to see what was happening after McGonagall.

"Back to your classes!" barked McGonagall. Iris lingered a few more moments while the others had started back for their classes. There, on the floor, lay Justin Finch-Fletchley and just a few feet away, the petrified ghost of Gryffindor house. Iris wanted to look away but couldn't.

Ernie Macmillan shouted accusingly at Harry, "Caught in the act!"

"That will do Macmillan!" Professor McGonagall roared.

Peeves had started a chorus of _'Oh Potter, you rotter, oh, what have you done, you're killing off students, you think its good fun-.'_

McGonagall was loosing her temper with Peeves, "That's enough Peeves!" as she said this he zoomed away through the still air sticking his tongue out at Harry.

Moments later, Professor Flitwick and Sinistra carried Justin, who had been petrified, to the Hospital Wing. McGonagall had conjured a fan for Ernie Macmillan to blow the black, smoking ghost of Nearly Headless Nick up the stairs.

Iris held her breath for who knows how long as they carried Justin Finch-Fletchley right past her. Why was all of this happening? Who was behind all of the attacks? Iris had neither and answer or a clue.

"This way, Potter," beckoned McGonagall.

Trying to plead with her Harry said, "Professor, I swear I didn't-."

"This is out of my hands, Potter," was McGonagall's reply as they turned a corner. As the teachers and students had finally all returned to their classes, no one seemed to be on topic.

A week or so later, Iris was in the Great Hall for breakfast. She looked up at the Staff table and saw that Lockhart was wearing pink lurid robes. Snape had a somewhat disgusted look on his face. It seemed to Iris that all of the teachers' around him looked uncomfortable and stony-faced.

"Happy Valentines Day!" shouted an exuberant Lockhart, "And may I thank the forty-six people who have so far sent me cards! Yes, I have taken the liberty of arranging this little surprise for you all-and it doesn't end here!" he clapped his hands and there appeared, surly looking dwarfs dressed in what appeared to be, wings and each was carrying a harp. "My friendly, card-carrying cupids! They will be roving around the school today delivering your valentines! And the fun doesn't stop here! I'm sure my colleagues will want to enter into the spirit of the occasion! Why not ask Professor Snape to show you how to whip up a Love Potion! And while you're at it, Professor Flitwick knows more about Entrancing Enchantments than any wizard I've ever met, the sly old dog!"

Iris laughed at the looks on Snape's and Flitwick's face. For the rest of the day the dwarves had been following students around, delivering messages from friends and secret admirers.

While walking to Charms class after lunch, a nubby little dwarf had stopped Harry to apparently deliver a message, "Oy, you! 'Arry Potter! I've got a musical message to deliver to 'Arry Potter in person." Iris stopped to watch the interaction.

"Not here!" yelled Harry.

"Stay still!" argued the dwarf. He had taken hold of Harry's bag and it ripped down the middle into two. His books, wand and quills spilled over the floor.

Next to Iris, Draco Malfoy had appeared out of thin air, "What's going on here?

Percy Weasley had seen the hold up in the corridor and intervened, "What's all the commotion?"

The dwarf had seen Harry trying to make a run for but tackled him and sat on his legs, "Right, here is your singing valentine."

'_His eyes are as green as a fresh pickled toad,  
His hair is as dark as a blackboard.  
I wish he was mine, he's really divine,  
The hero who conquered the Dark Lord.'_

Percy was desperately trying to disperse the crowd, "Off you go, off you go. The bell rang five minutes ago, off to class, now. And you, Malfoy-." Iris meandered slowly back towards her original destination.

After Charms class, while Iris was going to dinner a dwarf had stopped her in the Great Hall. It held in its hands a large bouquet of roses. He handed it to her as she sat down. Iris read it to herself and blushed scarlet when she read it.

_'Roses are red, violets are blue, we've got ten roses, and they're all for you! Love, Gred and Forge.'_

Fred and George had walked in at the perfect time to see Iris admiring her roses. They sat on either side of her and gave her identical smiles. "So how do you like them?" they both asked at the same time.

Iris gave them both hugs, "I love them, thank you so much." Both of them seemed pleased with this answer.


	12. Chapter 12

It was getting to the end of the year which meant that Fred and George had little time to spend with Iris because of the Quidditch Cup. Iris was making her way to the stands for the game with Luna and Ginny when Professor McGonagall's voice had come over the loud speakers that Lee Jordan had frequently used during matches. "All students are to make their way back to their House common rooms, where their Heads of Houses will give them further information. As quickly as you can, please!" her voice was shaking.

Iris could hear the complaints from the surrounding crowd as they all reported back to the common rooms, as her and Ginny stepped through the portrait hole McGonagall followed them through.

She had a deep worried look on her aged face, "All students will return to their House common rooms by six o'clock in the evening. No student is to leave the dormitories after that time. You will be escorted to each lesson by a teacher. No student is to use the bathroom unaccompanied by a teacher. All further Quidditch training and matches are to be postponed. There will be no more evening activities."

At the words 'Quidditch', Iris could hear half of the team sigh in disappointment. McGonagall continued, "I need hardly add that I have rarely been so distressed. It is likely that the school will be closed unless the culprit behind these attacks is caught. I would urge anyone who thinks that they might know anything about them to come forward." As she left through the way she came, there was uproar of chatter.

"That's two Gryffindors down, not counting a Gryffindor ghost, one Ravenclaw and one Hufflepuff. Haven't any of the teachers noticed that the Slytherins are all safe? Isn't it obvious that all this stuff is coming from Slytherin? The heir of Slytherin, the monster of Slytherin-why don't they just chuck the Slytherins out?" Lee Jordan seemed to be on a roll.

"Percy's in shock. That Ravenclaw girl-Penelope Clearwater-she's a prefect. I don't think he thought the monster would dare attack a prefect." George's voice whispered in her ear. Iris jumped a little; she didn't know that he was right behind her.

Next day in Potions was most formidable. Draco had been going on interrogating Snape about unnecessary means, "Sir, why didn't you apply for the Headmasters job?"

Snape lazily replied with, "Now, now, Malfoy, Professor Dumbledore has only been suspended by the governors. I daresay he will be back with us soon enough."

"Yeah right, I'd expect you'd have fathers vote, sir, if you wanted to apply for the job-I'll tell father you are the best teacher here. I'm quite surprised the Mudbloods haven't packed their bags by now. I'll bet five Galleons the next one dies-pity it wasn't Granger." As Draco said this, the bell rang.

Iris had heard that Hermione was the other Gryffindor victim the night McGonagall had come to speak to them.

"Hurry up, I've got to take you all to Herbology," barked Snape. The rest of the days classes were very subdued.

Iris and the other students had been patiently awaiting the bell for break, but it never came. Instead they heard McGonagall's strained voice, "All students to return to their House dormitories at once. All teachers return to the staff room immediately!"

The panic in her voice seemed to cause hysteria in the other students. People were rushing to get to their houses as fast as they could. Iris couldn't keep up and tripped in the middle of the stampeding crowd.

All Iris could think to do was to cover her head and avoid getting trampled. She laid there for who knows how long before she thought all the students had gone past. When she believed that it was safe to get up, she found that she was all alone. There was no stirring of footsteps or a single sound for that matter.

Iris stood up and headed for the common room. She had decided to take the quick way there, which passed the place where Mrs. Norris was hung and the glistening words were drawn. Iris had tried to pass by without looking at the scarlet letters but couldn't. She stood there in shock looking at the newest addition to the sinister message left weeks prior. '_HER SKELETON WILL IN THE CHAMBER FOREVER.'_ Iris couldn't move; she had felt that she had been petrified herself. She had stood there for what seemed like hours.

Moments later, the twins rounded the corner and found her there. "We've been looking all over for you," said Fred.

"What are you doing just standing there, silly?" George's tone was amused but then his attention was turned towards the writing on the wall, as well as Fred's.

"We should leave," Fred began to move back towards the way they came. He took hold of Iris's arm and pulled her along behind him. "What happened to you?" he was indicating some cuts and bruises that were starting to unveil.

Iris tried to talk but couldn't manage it. They didn't ask her anymore questions and kept walking towards the common room.

Once there Iris resigned to her bed to try and sleep while forgetting the sight of the frightening words.

It was mid-way through breakfast when Iris had heard news that the culprit had been apprehended. Fred and George had been pulled from the Great Hall to the Headmasters office; the thought of them being in trouble had past through her mind.

When they had returned, they had told her that Ginny had opened the Chamber of Secrets and that she was going to be fine. It had seemed that a giant weight of worrying had been lifted; she could finally breath easier now.

Another year had come and gone in no time at all. The next thing Iris knew, she was on her way back to King's Cross. There on the platform stood Ms. Fagan ready to take her back to her temporary home.


	13. Third Year

**Hello again! I hope you are enjoying the story thus far. The years will start to progressively get longer and more into the story line that coincides with the books and movies. Reviews are always welcome :)**

Iris was one year older but felt the same. She was highly anticipating the upcoming year. She had heard that they would once more have a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher in a letter from Neville.

The Hogwarts Express looked the same as the day she left it three months before. Neville had boarded the same time she had and they took a car together.

"Why do you think we keep ending up with a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher?" Neville inquired.

"I have no idea. Maybe it's their lack of competence. I mean… you couldn't really understand anything that Quirell said and Lockhart was a joke. He never preformed an actual spell that worked or -." Iris was interrupted by what seemed to be the train reluctantly stopping.

Iris was thrown forward a little and then the lights started to flicker and finally went out. "What's going on?" Neville's voice was full of panic.

She looked out the window but could see only the dark cloudy sky through the thickly condensated glass.

A shiver ran down Iris's spine causing her to involuntarily jerk. It had become so cold in only a matter of seconds. Neville took in a sharp draw of breath at the sight of a hooded black figure passing the care door. Iris and Neville had pushed themselves as close to the window as they could; trying to distance themselves from the creature as much as they could. Iris had the feeling that she was empty and nothing could ever fill her up. All the happiness and contempt that she had felt moments before had vanished. It seemed to have done the same for Neville; his teeth were chattering from the cold.

As the feeling seemed to pass, the car became warmer and the window defrosted. Whatever had caused the incident had gone. The train started with a jerk and slowly made its way to Hogsmeade Station to let them off.


	14. Chapter 14

Iris and Neville sat with Dean and Seamus during the sorting. When it was time for them to proceed to the feast, Dumbledore stood up, "Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! I have a few things to say to you all, and as one of them is very serious, I think it best to get it out of the way before you become befuddled by our excellent feast. As you will all be aware after their search of the Hogwarts Express, our school will be playing host to the dementors of Azkaban, who are here on Ministry of Magic business. They are stationed at every entrance to the grounds and while they are with us, I must make it plain that nobody is to leave the school without permission. Dementors are not fooled by tricks or disguises-or even Invisibility Cloaks. It is not in the nature of a dementor to understand pleading or excuses. I therefore warn each and every one of you to give them no reason to harm you. I look to the prefects and the new Head Boy and Girl, to make sure that no student runs afoul of the dementors. On a happier note, I am pleased to welcome to new teachers to our ranks this year. First, Professor Lupin has kindly consented to fill the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. As to our second new appointment, well I'm sorry to tell you that Professor Kettleburn, our Care of Magical Creatures teacher, retired at the end of last year in order to enjoy more time with his remaining limbs. However, I am delighted to say that his place will be filled by none other than Rubeus Hagrid, who has agreed to take on this teaching job in addition to his gamekeeping duties. Well, I think that's everything that's of importance. Let the feast begin!"

Everyone on the Great Hall was buzzing with chatter about the dementors and why they were here. Back in the common room, Iris had met up with Fred and George; they both gave her winning smiles as she approached.

All Iris could think was how much they had changed in appearance, but never in spirit. Then Iris wondered how much different she must look now that she was another year older. She knew her green eyes had always been the same and her hair was still as bright red as ever yet somewhat longer. She had also sprouted a few more inches over the summer.

She sat on the couch next to them and joined in their conversation when she felt like it.

"It's because of Sirius Black! That's why they're here," Fred exclaimed, "He's escaped from Azkaban and the dementors are the nasty buggers that suck out your soul." George made a great slurping noise. Iris let out a girlish giggle at this.

Iris went to bed with the thought of the dementors. She found it hard to get to sleep but managed it anyway.


	15. Chapter 15

The first class of the day was new. Divinations was supposed to help students develop their 'inner eye,' In other words, 'a waste of time,' as George had so nicely put it.

Iris had the impression that Professor Trelawney was a crackpot and didn't know what she was saying or doing. Wherever she went a trail of smoky, incense had followed. She had shawl after shawl draped over her shoulders which made her look bigger than she actually was. Her huge spectacles had magnified her eyes greatly, making her look like a large deranged owl.

They were supposed to be studying tea leaves, which, in Iris's opinion, was a waste of time. She had however foreseen that Neville would drop and break his cup, which to Iris's astonishment actually happened.

Iris had taken to translating the pool of leaves in Neville's new cup. There appeared to Iris that it was just a cluster of nothingness. Trelawney had weaved her way through the table and asked Iris what she saw. Looking into the cup desperately looking for something, she found it, "Well I see, a man holding a sword and then there appears to be a snake."

Trelawney took the cup into her hands, examining the contents, "Yes I think you are right, my dear," Iris was taken aback for a moment.

"Really?" she couldn't believe that she had actually succeeded in something in the class. To Iris, it seemed next to impossible because the entire subject appeared to be all made up.

"Oh, yes, my dear, now let's see your cup." Trelawney had let a gasp of horror. Iris didn't know what to do but grabbed her cup off the table and peered inside it. All that appeared was a skull with a snake protruding from it mouth. Everyone in the room was now staring at Iris holding her cup, "My dear, you have imminent danger in your future. It will be filled with death and fear. You have to take caution in every decision you make."

"I don't know what you mean, Professor." Iris's voice was shaking and her throat was dry. She was looking from her cup to Trelawney and back again.

"Your cup bares the Dark Mark!" squeaked Trelawney. She was now sitting aghast in her winged chair muttering to herself. Iris couldn't help but sink back in her chair from the weight of everyone's stares.

Once the class had ended, Iris rushed out the door and down the ladder that led to the corridor below. She had practically ran to her next class, which happened to be Care of Magical Creatures which Iris had hoped would be the best class of the year.


	16. Chapter 16

Upon arrival with the other students Hagrid had taken them into a clearing of trees where there stood a flock of magnificent animals; they were half horse, half bird. They were one of the most beautiful creatures Iris had ever seen.

Each one that Hagrid had brought towards the fence was a different color. There was a: stormy grey, ink black, deep chestnut and a pink roan.

"Hippogriffs, beau'iful aren' they?" Iris couldn't agree more and moved closer to the fence as the other students gradually backed away. "Now the firs' thing yeh got ter know 'bout Hippogriffs is the're proud creatures. Easily offended Hippogriffs, they are. Yeh don't never want ter insult a Hippogriff; it might be the last thing you'll ever do. You a'ways wait fer the Hippogriff to make the firs' move. It's polite, you see. You walk toward him, you bow and you wait, if he bows back, yur allowed to touch 'im. If he doesn't bow, then back away from his sharpish, 'cause those talons hurt. Right-who wants ter ride first?"

Iris had stepped forward before anyone else had a chance to act. "Good girl, Iris. Let's see how you get along with Fiendfire," Hagrid had pulled away the smoky black Hippogriff from his herd. "Now, yer got ta bow, keep eye contact." Everyone had watched, holding their breath most likely as the Hippogriff considered her for a few moments, then bowed.

Everyone in the class, besides the Slytherins, was clapping. Iris slowly rose back to stand straight "I reckon he might let you ride 'im now!" Before Iris knew what was even going on, Hagrid had picked her up and swung her onto the creature's back.

Fiendfire had seemed to start moving as soon as she was comfortably placed on his back behind his wing joints. "Go on, then!" Then Hagrid had slapped Fiendfire's hindquarters.

The creature reacted instantly and reared, spreading his fifteen foot velvety black wings while running towards a break in the trees. Iris almost fell off from the jostling of the Hippogriff. She shut her eyes and screamed as she could feel the massive beast take off from the ground and could hear the applause and cheers from the class below. Iris had wrapped her arms so tightly around his neck that she thought that they would have to pry her off.

When she had finally decided it was safe to open her eyes, Fiendfire was soaring over the castle, meandering through the many towers and bridges. It wasn't until they came in for a rough landing that Iris had learned to appreciate keeping her feet on the ground.

Hagrid helped her dismount and return to the other students. Dean, Seamus and Neville were telling her how amazing that was and how brave she was. Being too distracted with the praise from her classmates, Iris hadn't noticed that Hagrid returned Fiendfire and had taken out the charcoal grey one, Buckbeak. Malfoy had marched forward and obviously hadn't been paying attention to the lesson at hand because Buckbeak had reared up and attacked him.

Malfoy let out a scream of anguish, "I'm dying! I'm dying, look at me! It's killed me!"

"Yer not dyin'!" boomed Hagrid over his hysterical screams. "Someone help me-gotta get him outta here-." All of the students had followed Hagrid and the injured Malfoy back up to the castle to wait for their next class.


	17. Chapter 17

Breakfast was an annoyance at the very least. Malfoy was complaining and Pansy was babying him and he seemed to be lapping it up like a greedy cat.

Fred and George where sitting with Iris again, "So… I saw you the other day flying on that thing of Hagrid's. Did you like it?" Fred winked and gave her a sarcastic smile. Iris rolled her eyes and hit him with George's notebook as he raised his arms in defense, laughing the whole time.

Double Potions wasn't going to be pleasant at all, especially because Draco thought that it was alright to pawn off his work on everybody else using the same excuse, "…because of my arm." He hadn't reappeared in class until half way through the lesson.

Today they had been working on a Shrinking Solution. Iris was concentrating too hard to see the slight commotion that was happening between Ron and Malfoy. Neville on the other hand had been working on his potion diligently when Snape swooped his way over to their table. "Orange, Longbottom. Orange. Tell me, boy, does anything penetrate that thick skull of yours? Didn't you hear me say that only one rat spleen was needed? Didn't I state clearly that a dash of leech juice would suffice? What do I have to do to make you understand, Longbottom?"

Iris's anger had boiled over the top. "Well maybe if you didn't hover over people like and over grown bat they wouldn't be so apt to making mistakes." She tried to say it as calm as she could but her voice was quavering with suppressed anger. Her face was burning red.

All around her, Iris could hear the snickers and sharp draws of breath from the other students. Iris couldn't bring herself to look at his menacing black eyes. His slow droll had taken forever to come, "I think that such a comment deserves a detention, Miss Blackthorne, my office Friday at eight o'clock should suffice, you will be writing me some lines."

The class continued to stare at her even after the comment left her lips and Snape had walked back to sit at his desk. His eyes bore into her as she packed her things back into her bag and left when the bell rang. She stole a glance at him and thought that she saw a flicker of hurt in his dark eyes.

Apparently word had got around fast about Iris's detention with Snape because when she entered the Great Hall for lunch everyone was looking at her; some looked away while others continued to talk about it.

Fred and George were there sitting together as usual when Iris walked up to them. Fred saw her first and elbowed George to get his attention. They both turned towards her in mock satisfaction.

Fred spoke first with a devilish grin on his face, "Welcome to the dark side." Iris rolled her emerald green eyes and sat down next to them. "We've been hearing loads of different things. Why don't you tell us what really happened?"

Iris was in no mood to talk or even think about what had happened in her last class. "I don't want to talk about it."

George pouted his lip, "Pweeeease! We won't go telling everybody what really happened. We promise, right Fred?"

"Right George," he seemed to be suppressing a laugh. Then both of them simultaneously pouted their lip and where whimpering like dogs.

Iris couldn't hold back her laughter any longer, "Fine, fine, I'll tell you." They both panted like happy-go-lucky puppies that were going to be petted. "You know how Snape is always picking on the Gryffindors?"

"Always," they said in unison before she continued.

"Well, he is unusually nasty to Neville so today he was being rather cruel to him and I had had enough of it so I told him, 'Well maybe if you didn't hover over people like and over grown bat they wouldn't be so apt to making mistakes.' Then he gave me detention Friday night at eight."

Both of the twins looked at her with there mouths hanging open; almost in disbelief that she would ever talk back to a teacher. Then they broke into laughter and fits of giggles.


	18. Chapter 18

In her next class, Iris wasn't expecting much. Defense Against the Dark Arts wasn't shaping up to the great expectations that Iris had hoped, until they entered the class for the first time.

"Good afternoon. Would you please put your books back in your bags. Todays will be a practical lesson. You will only need your wand. Right then, if you would follow me." All the students began to file out of the classroom and down the hall. They entered the Staff room where Iris saw Snape seated in a low armchair.

Iris could feel his gaze scan over the cluster of students entering the room. His icy stare landed upon Iris, "Leave it open, Lupin. I'd rather not witness this. Possibly, no ones warned you, Lupin, but this class contains Neville Longbottom. I would advise you not to entrust him with anything difficult. Not unless Miss Blackthorne is there to cover up for his mistakes by blaming the teacher for his incompetence." His eyes bore into hers as he said this. Iris could feel her face burning as he walked to the door.

"Well I was hoping that Neville would assist me in the first stage of the operation. And I'm sure he will perform it admirably." Snape sneered at Lupin and left, closing the door behind him.

Iris looked to the front of the room where Lupin was standing next to a large wooden wardrobe that was shaking on its knobby legs. "Nothing to worry about, it's only a Boggart; Boggarts' like dark, enclosed spaces. Wardrobes, the gap beneath beds, the cupboards under sinks-I've even met one that lodged itself into a Grandfather clock. This one moved in yesterday so I asked the Headmaster if the staff would leave it to give my third years some practice. So the first question we must ask ourselves is, 'What is a Boggart?'"

Iris raised her hand. "Yes, Miss Blackthorne, I believe."

"It's a shape-shifter that takes the form of what it thinks will frighten us most." Iris said confidently.

"Very good, now, the charm that repels the Boggart is simple, yet it requires force of mind. Laughter is the thing that finishes a Boggart. You need it to assume a form that you find amusing. We will practice the charm with out wands first. Repeat after me… _'Riddikulus!'_

_'Riddikulus!'_ the class mimed back.

"Good. Now, the word is not enough, this is where you come in Neville. Alright Neville, what would you say you fear most in the world?"

"Professor Snape" he whispered. Everyone laughed and he gave an apologetic smile.

"Professor Snape…hmm…Neville, I believe you live with your grandmother?"

"Yes-but I don't want that Boggart to turn into her either."

"No I think you misunderstood me. I want you to tell us what she usually wears."

Neville continued to divulge her choice wardrobe. "Now I want you to raise your wand and shout _'Riddikulus'_ when Professor Snape comes out of the wardrobe. Then it should shift its attention to the rest of us. I want everyone to think about what scares you most and then how you can make it comical."

Iris didn't know what she was afraid of. She never had anything to be afraid of before. Then she thought of her parents dying and how nobody had known how or even who had done it. It was all in the papers and Iris had a newspaper clipping that she found in the attic of the orphanage. The memory of reading it had flashed in her mind.

'_Blackthorne family murder: A tragic history'_

_Today police found the bodies of Arabella and Brutus Blackthorne apparently murdered in their small town home. Their only daughter, Iris, one, had been unharmed and slept through the entire incident. Iris had been taken to a local orphanage in London. _

_It seems to be that the Blackthorne family has a history of murder. All of the previous generations of the family had also been mysteriously killed in their homes with no trace of how it was done. The tragedies' allegedly started with Morphin Gaunt, one of the last of the Salazar Slytherin bloodline which many had thought had died with him in Azkaban after he had killed the Riddle family but was found that it lived on in the child that Lilith Archer had given birth to who was said to be fathered by Morphin. Lilith was soon murdered by the same method as the Blackthornes', leaving her daughter Rose in an orphanage. Rose later in her life, married a John Blackthorne, hence the change in last name and had a son, Brutus. History once more repeated itself, leaving their child in an orphanage. Once he was old enough to marry he did, to an Arabella Song. They had Iris a few years later and were murdered; once again having their child placed into a home for orphaned children._

_The town of Londonderry hopes that this will be the end of the brutal mysterious murders of the once legendary family. _

Beside the article was a picture of an ominous skull with a snake protruding from its ugly mouth anda picture of her beautiful parents, happily smiling up at her. She had the article stowed away in her trunk.

Iris was next in line for the Boggart but she still didn't know what she feared the most. There was always death but how could she make death humorous? Or even more, what would death look like?

Iris watched as the Boggart had changed from a giant spider to one without legs in front of Ron. When everyone had burst into laughter except Iris the Boggart moved down the line to her. She readied her willow wand.

Iris held her breath to see what it would turn into. Lupin was eyeing the creature as it took a while to change form. It had changed into the Dark Mark that had been seen by Professor Trelawney in her cup of tea leaves.

Lupin had a look of astonishment on his face as Iris stood frozen. What it had turned into must not have been what he expected. Iris sucked in a deep breath and shouted, _'Riddikulus!'_ The Boggart had not changed or stirred at all. Everyone was staring at the still Boggart that floated in mid-air in front of her. Her chest began to tighten with apprehension and fear.

Iris finally put all the feeling she could into her next attempt, _'Riddikulus!'_ The Boggart whirled around itself and turned into a springy snake that usually popped out of a can; it made Iris think of Fred and George.

Everyone laughed and applauded at her effort but she didn't laugh. Iris stood there, sullen and deep in thought.

As the Boggart moved down the line of students, Lupin had walked up beside her, "Iris? Are you alright?"

She had barely noticed his presence and absent mindedly answered, "Yeah…I'm fine." She walked out of the Staff room and went to the bathroom. Lupin didn't do anything to stop her or say anything except watch her go.

Iris turned the tap on the sink and let the water run. Her hands were draped over the edge. Iris slowly sank to the floor as tears for her lost parents had flooded her eyes. She sat there for the rest of class.

When the bell rang, Iris wiped the tears out of her green bloodshot eyes and got ready to go to up to the Gryffindor common room.


	19. Chapter 19

Iris had detention at eight o'clock the next night and wasn't looking forward to writing lines for Snape. When she had arrived in the dank dungeon, Snape was waiting for her. He was sitting behind his desk and was in the middle of scribbling something down.

"Ah…Miss Blackthorne." Snape hadn't bother looking up from his own work. "Sit." Iris obeyed at once.

As she was seated in the desk in front of Snape; with a wave of his ebony wand parchment and a quill in an ink quell appeared. Still not looking up at her, "You will be writing lines for me tonight." Then his dark eyes met hers. "You will be writing '_I will not make excuses for others incompetence_.' Do I make myself clear?" His voice was slick and deadly.

"Yes, sir," Iris responded involuntarily.

"Good. You will do one hundred repetitions. When you finish leave them on my desk and you can leave." His tone had softened a bit. "You, may, begin."

Iris had picked up the quill and dipped the tip into the ink quell. When it touched the parchment it made a scraping sound that echoed through the dungeon. Iris could feel Snape's eyes carry over her a few times. With in an hour Iris had almost finished.

When she had finally completed her lines she placed the parchment on Professor Snape's desk. He looked at them out of the corner of his eye She had started to make her way for the door of the dungeon, red hair swinging behind her when it swung open for her.

Iris slowly meandered her way back to the common room; stopping to use the bathroom on her way.


	20. Chapter 20

Iris turned to look on the notice board for any news when she had seen the notice for the first trip into Hogsmeade. "What is it?" asked the twins.

"First Hogsmeade weekend is at the end of October, Halloween." Iris replied unsure of what it was referring to.

"Excellent! I need to visit Zonko's. I'm nearly out of Stink Pellets." Fred's voice over her head; he was still a foot or so taller than Iris.

Iris went to sit with George on the couch while Fred had gone to talk to Lee Jordan. Ron, Hermione and Harry had been trying to get Scabbers, Ron's rat away from Hermione's cat Crookshanks. The cat had latched itself onto a bag trying to get at the rat. "CATCH THAT CAT!" Ron yelled.

George had lunged over Iris to get the cat before it caught the rat but missed. He now lay on Iris's lap, "Why hello up there," he said foolishly. Fred had come over to join them and pushed him off her lap.

"So how was lines with the greasy git?" asked Fred waiting for her answer.

"It wasn't as bad as you might think. I only had to do one hundred repetitions of '_I will not make excuses for others incompetence.' _It was nothing I couldn't handle." Iris told them.

"You got off easy. I reckon it's because you're pretty." George was on the right of Iris reclining in his seat with his eyes closed. She wasn't expecting to hear that, especially from him but she didn't act on it.

The day of the Hogsmeade trip was approaching quickly and Iris, as well as the twins, was excited.

After the day had arrived Iris left with Neville, Dean and Seamus to go to Hogsmeade and into the Three Broomsticks. After, Iris had gone to Zonko's with Fred when later they split up so that she could go to HoneyDukes.

Iris had been browsing HoneyDukes trying to decide what to get when it was time to return to the castle and into the company of the Gryffindor common room.

When she arrived there was a line of students that had been waiting to get to the same place as she. Dumbledore was there assisted by a hand full of teachers that included: Snape, McGonagall and Lupin.

At the front of the herd of students Iris saw the twins; pushing through people to reach them Iris could see the painting that housed the Fat Lady. It had been so terribly slashed and shredded that pieces of it had fallen on the floor.

Dumbledore surveyed the tattered shreds, "We need to find her. Professor McGonagall, please go to Mr. Filch at once and tell him to search every painting in the castle for the Fat Lady."

"You'll be lucky!" cackled Peeves.

"What do you mean Peeves?" inquired Dumbledore.

"Ashamed, Your Headship, sir; doesn't want to be seen. She's a horrible mess. Saw her running through the landscape on the fourth floor, sir, dodging between the trees; crying something dreadful. Poor thing." Peeves responded.

Dumbledore spoke just above a whisper, "Did she say who did it?"

"Oh yes, Professorhead. He got very angry when she wouldn't let him in, you see. Nasty temper he's got that Sirius Black."

Dumbledore had sent all of Gryffindor house down to the Great Hall where they had been joined by the other houses, shortly there after. "The teachers and I have to conduct a thorough search of the castle, I am afraid that you'll have to spend the night here. I want the Prefects to stand guard over the entrances to the hall and I am leaving the Head Boy and Girl in charge. Any disturbances should be reported to me immediately. Send word with one of the ghosts." Dumbledore had started to leave, "Oh, yes, you'll need…" With a wave of his wand the Great Hall was covered in rows and rows of purple sleeping bags. "Sleep well." The lights went out ten minutes later. Iris felt sleep take her over immediately.

Struggling in her sleep, Iris dreamt about the same murders as she had had almost one year prior. Only this time it was somehow different; instead of waking up after the curse had been cast, Iris watched the figure whom was still hooded exit the house and emitted an image of a ghostly skull and snake that was emerging from its ghastly mouth. The form hovering menacingly in the sky was slithering and emitting a dreadful noise that sounded like an ancient beast crying. The marking emblazoned in the night sky was the Dark Mark.


	21. Chapter 21

All of the students were let back into their dormitories the next day. In front of the passage to the Gryffindor common room was a new portrait of a knight riding a stout little pony.

The day before the first Quidditch match, Snape walked in to substitute for Professor Lupin. "Sorry I'm late Professor Lupin, I-." Harry had come dashing through the door. Everyone in the class turned to look at him.

"This lesson started ten minutes ago, Potter, so I'll think we'll make it ten points from Gryffindor. Sit down." Snape cut through Harry's words.

"Where is Professor Lupin?" questioned Harry.

"He says he is feeling too ill to teach today. I believe I told you to sit down." Snape retorted

"What's wrong with him?" pushed Harry.

"Nothing life threatening; five more points from Gryffindor and if I have to ask you to sit down again it will be fifty." Snape gave an almost satisfactory sneer. "Today we shall discuss-werewolves. Turn to page three hundred and ninety-four."

"Now, who can tell me the difference between an animagus and a werewolf?" Snape scanned the room looking for someone to answer his question. Hermione's hand was up before Iris had even registered the question.

Snape had made it his goal to ignore Hermione for as long as possible. Iris raised her hand half-heartily. "Yes, Miss Blackthorne?"

Iris spoke in more of a low whisper, "An animagus is a person who elects to turn into an animal while a werewolf has no choice."

"Good." Snape droned on for the rest of the class. "you will each write and essay, to be handed into me, on the ways you recognizing and kill werewolves. I want two rolls of parchment on the subject, and I want them on Monday morning."

The game was still to be played even though it was viciously pouring outside. Iris made her way over to the stands. Gryffindor was playing Hufflepuff who had gotten a new captain and seeker, Cedric Diggory. In Iris's opinion, he was very good looking.

In the middle of the field, Iris watched as Madam Hooch blew her whistle and all of the players kicked off from the ground. The twins had jumped right onto beating the bludgers away from the other players. Iris thought that Harry would have an extremely difficult time trying to see the Snitch, especially in the pounding wind and rain.

Wood called for a time-out and all of the players landed on the muddy field clustering under an oversized umbrella. Moments later the team resumed the game.

Harry raced into the clouds high above the stadium racing Diggory to the Snitch and soon they were both out of sight. Iris had a sudden sensation of being cold and empty again.

Seconds after the initial feeling had hit, Harry was plummeting towards the earth. He landed with a splash in the mud. Iris thought that he must have fallen at least fifty feet. The players continued to find that only seconds after that Cedric had caught the Snitch. Iris could hear Diggory calling for a rematch.

Everyone in the stands had gotten up to get a better look at what was happening as they were carrying Harry to the Hospital Wing.

Everyone in the stands was up and moving back to the castle. Iris made her way back to the Gryffindor common room to get into a change of clothes and start her essay for Snape on werewolves.

Professor Lupin was back in class on Monday and had told them that they did not have to do the essay and that he would talk to Snape about it. Great, Iris though, she had already finished and was ready to turn it in.

For the rest of the class they observed a hinkypunk, a one legged creature that looked like wisps of smoke holding a lantern.


	22. Chapter 22

The end of term was only a few weeks away. The next Hogsmeade trip was to be held the day before the break. Iris decided to go back to the orphanage over the break since everyone else was.

She arrived to at least a foot of white snow in Hogsmeade. She was wearing a loose fitting cap hiding her fiery red hair and had a thick warm coat. Her boots came up to her knees and her scarf was red and gold like the vibrant colors of Gryffindor.

She was making her way back up to the castle when something cold and wet hit the back of her neck releasing water that ran down the inside of her shirt.

Iris shivered from the sudden cold that was down her back. She turned around to the sounds of Fred and George's hysterical laughter. Fred was almost doubled over while George held another snowball in his hands. Both of them were turning as red as Iris's hair.

They saw her and tried to stifle their laughter. They gave her a coy playful smile and George hid the snowball behind his back. Iris was smiling so big that her face was hurting.

Iris put her hands on her hips and was waiting for their next move. Fred had bent down to tie his shoelace but instead formed a snowball in his gloved hands. He exchanged a look with George and both yelled, "Fire!"

Iris shrieked and braced herself for the impending blows of the packed snow. They both hit her; one in the arm and the other on her shielded stomach.

As they continued to pelt her with snowballs, Iris ran at them holding her cap, laughing and shrieking. Fred and George had braced them selves for her. George was crouching and waiting for her impact.

She tried to slow herself but was too late. George had picked her up and threw her over his shoulder holding onto her tightly.

Iris let out screams of laughter as Fred and George ran the rest of the way to the castle with her still draped over George's shoulder.

The swarm of students that had already arrived back and were in the Great Hall clambered out to see what the commotion was coming from. Professor McGonagall, Snape and Dumbledore had also exited the Great Hall to see what was going on.

The twins ran through the Entrance Hall with a laughs of triumph. Iris thought that she caught Snape's words, "Put her down!" but wasn't sure because she was still laughing uncontrollably.

George was running up the stairs with her still bobbing up and down on his back. Fred was running along side him; Iris tried to look up but all she saw were a blur of faces and moving paintings. She gave up trying and remained staring at the stone floor that was whizzing by her as they moved.

They had finally made it to the portrait of Sir Cadogan, who was preventing them from entering. George stopped running and was still for a few minutes in front of the portrait. He was clearly out of breath from running all that way and was breathing in deep breaths.

His shoulder was now uncomfortably wedged under her rib and she was wondering how much longer she would be there. George jostled her by jumping a little, "You okay back there?"

"I'm A-Okay; How about you?" Iris said breathlessly; her uncontrollable laughter had taken a lot out of her; it hurt to laugh.

"Never better," he let out a breathless laugh as they waited for Fred to give Sir Cadogan the password, who was being extremely difficult and wouldn't let them pass.

"Finally," muttered Fred. Iris could feel the warmth of the fireplace engulfing the common room and her. George had placed her back on the ground and the three of them laughed together.

"I'm going to go and change but I'll be back." Iris left to change out of her damp winter clothes into plain jeans and t-shirt. She brushed her flaming red hair so that it was soft once more and not damp with snowflakes.

Iris looked in the mirror and really looked at herself. Her hair was a darker shade of red than any of the Weasleys' and her eyes were a scintillating emerald green. Her skin was pale and she had a few scarce freckles dotting her cheeks. Iris noticed that she had light scar just above her left eyebrow.

She headed back down to the common room to find Fred and George talking on the couch. They looked up at her as she walked down the stairs that lead from the girl's dormitories. Fred was still talking as he watched while George did not.

He waited for Iris to be seated on the armchair adjacent to them to resume talking; watching her as she seated herself, "I'm just saying that we had taken the knowledge that the map had to offer and used it to our advantage. Harry needed it more than we did." Fred stated.

"I know he needed it more than us but maybe we shouldn't have let him keep it, we should have let him borrow it instead." George affirmed.

Iris was reclined back into the chair with her legs draped over the arm. She was so comfortable that she might have fallen asleep right then and there if people hadn't kept coming and going from the room, chattering loudly as they passed.

Iris had finally dozed off but was awoken my Fred, "Hey, its time for you to go to bed." Iris groaned in reluctance; she was comfortable were she was. She could faintly hear them talking, "Alright, Georgie, help me move her onto the couch."

Iris's head lolled as they moved her from the chair to the couch. She could feel a heavy blanket being pulled over her and then the voices saying, 'Good-Night', as they faded in the direction of the boy's dormitory.


	23. Chapter 23

The next morning came early for Iris, who had been woken up by the sound of whispering people. Iris rolled over, thinking that she was in her bed but had found out too late that she wasn't and rolled off the couch.

"Hello, Sleeping Beauty," beamed Fred.

"Look who's finally awake," added George.

Iris lay on the floor and looking up at the two boys that were staring back at her with double wide grins on their faces. She stretched her arms over her head and then settled back on the floor. "Do either of you want to help me up, please?"

Fred reached out a hand for her to grab and pulled her up with impressive force. "Breakfast anyone?"

They headed down to the Great Hall to eat something before their day official day started.

January slowly faded into February which turned into March. The Quidditch game against Ravenclaw was won despite Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle trying to sabotage Harry by dressing as dementors.

There was a party in the common room that Iris didn't want to really be apart of so she left for bed early.

The Quidditch final was approaching and Wood had the team practicing at every chance they could get. The last time Iris saw Fred and George, they both looked exhausted. Once it was over, everything would return back to normal.

The stands filled with supporters of either team roared with anticipation. The whistle blew and they were off.

Marcus Flint had purposefully smashed into the Gryffindor chaser so Fred threw the beaters bat at the back of his head causing him to hit his face on his broom and get a bloody nose. Both teams had gotten penalty shots.

The game continued until Bole, one of the Slytherin beaters had hit Alicia claiming that he thought she was a bludger. As payback George had elbowed him in the face. The Gryffindor supporters yelled their approval. They both got another penalty.

Harry had spotted and lost the Snitch many times before he actually caught it, winning Gryffindor the house cup.

The rest of the year past by like a ticking time bomb that would go off when it was once more time for them to leave. The news of Sirius Black being captured and his escape had swirled around the school like leaves on a particularly blustery day along with the mysterious disappearance of Buckbeak.

The ride back to King's Cross had seemed different somehow. Iris thought that everything was going to change possibly for the better or the worst or maybe for both.

As the Hogwarts Express had arrived once again in the station, Ms. Fagan was again waiting for her to take her home.


	24. Fourth Year

**Hey there! Hope you have enjoyed it so far. This year was really fun to write and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did :) Reviews are always welcome!**

Iris was waiting for the arrival to Hogwarts while she sat in a solitary car on the Hogwarts Express perusing the _'Daily Prophet.'_ She found an article about the Quidditch World Cup that Fred and George had been telling her about in their frequent letters.

Apparently the Ireland team had beaten Bulgaria. But what Iris saw next caused her to scream. The Dark Mark that was her Boggart, her future and haunting her dreams was cast after the game. An apparent riot caused by hooded figures in silver masks had broken out; they had been marching through the camps attacking and torturing Muggles.

Iris threw the paper to the other side of the car and looked out the window. Fred and George had opened the car door and joined her.

"Well, hello there," Fred exclaimed.

George had seemed to notice something that Fred hadn't, "Hey, are you alright? You look ill."

That was just it; Iris did feel ill from the news that she just read. She didn't know what to say so she didn't answer.

George crossed over to the seat beside Iris. "Iris?" he took her face in his hands.

She tried to turn away but didn't want to fight him. Tears were swimming in her jade eyes as she looked at him.

"What is wrong?" He sounded genuinely concerned now.

"Yeah, you can tell us," chimed in Fred, now becoming aware of the seriousness of the situation.

Iris closed her eyes so she wouldn't have to look at George and spare herself the embarrassment of it all. Sucking in a deep breath Iris finally spoke, "I'm worried that's all."

"About what exactly, Iris? What are you so worries about that you are making yourself sick over?" The compassion in George's voice was different from its normal humorous, lighthearted tone.

Fred leaned forward and patted Iris's knee, trying to comfort her without it being awkward. "You don't have to tell us right now if you don't want to, you know we're always here for you because you're like our sister, Iris. Don't ever forget that." he chuckled trying to lighten the mood.

Iris tried to smile for him but couldn't. She placed her hand on George's much larger one and was trying to push them away. She turned back to the window as Fred and George exchanged glances and got up to leave.

"Iris?" She looked at the source of the voice. George was half way between being in and out of the car. "I…never mind." And with that he left the car completely. Fred followed shortly after, but not before waving good-bye, for now at least.

Iris was scared. She was scared of the mark. She was scared of what her future could hold. She was also scared that the cloaked figure in her dreams would come after her next.

Iris silently cried for everything that could happen. She gave into sleep thinking about how she should have told them but she didn't and that she might have lost the chance to.


	25. Chapter 25

Iris hadn't woken up until long after the Hogwarts Express had docked at Hogsmeade Station. She opened the car door and looked up and down the narrow corridor only to find that nobody was stirring or making a single sound.

Iris was almost knocked off her feet when the train gave an undesirable lurch. The train was leaving and Iris hadn't even gotten off yet. She ran for the nearest exit only to find that it was locked and immovable. She ran to the next train car as the train had gradually started to gain speed.

Her heart started to pound against her chest faster and faster. Iris thought that she might have a panic attack. Taking a deep breath Iris moved to the next door only finding that she was once again in the same predicament.

Now Iris felt like she couldn't breath and that she was being suffocated. Normally she would have reacted rationally but given recent events, she was more on edge and antsy.

In her panic and the sudden increase in speed, she ran towards the caboose. Thankfully the door was unlocked and Iris stepped out onto the tiny platform connected to the car. She could feel that the end of the platform of Hogsmeade station was only seconds away.

Thinking fast she launched herself from the landing and skidded into a roll onto the rough ground of the station. If she had waited any longer she would have missed her chance and would be on her way back to London.

Iris stood up only to fall back down on the ground in great pain. She must have twisted her ankle badly in the act. She tried to examine the rest of her body in the darkness of the approaching nightfall prevented her from doing so.

From what she could see she was covered in dirt and more or less minor scratched and bruises. She could also taste blood in her mouth. She must have busted her lip also when she jumped. This is perfect, thought Iris; this could not get any worse.

As soon as she thought it, it had started to downpour with a side of the occasional thunder and lightning. As she propped herself up to the point that she could stand on her own, she started to slowly but surely make her way to the castle.

Iris thought that the sorting must be over by now and it would be the feast; and be almost time to be dismissed for bed.

Iris was almost to entrance of the castle when her legs buckled and gave way to the pain of her twisted ankle. She started crying again but no one would be able to tell the difference in the rain. Her hair was plastered to her head and her clothes had soaked through completely. Iris could feel the freezing rain go right through her.

She took her wand out of her pocket and was trying to think of a spell that would help the pain in her swollen, throbbing ankle to cease. Iris couldn't think of anything and was so cold and tired that she started to loose consciousness.

She lay herself down on the muddy ground only a few dozen yards away from the door. Iris closed her eyes and was slipping in and out of awareness. She could feel the drops of rain pounding against her frigid body sinking in the mud. Her teeth were chattering furiously and she was shaking uncontrollably trying to warm herself with little success.

She thought that she could hear the faint almost whisper of someone nearby. Their tone was that of fear almost pleading. Iris thought that it must have been her imagination and that no one was really there.

She could feel someone lift her limp exhausted body out of the cake like mud that surrounded her. As soon as she was settled in their arms she completely slipped out of consciousness.


	26. Chapter 26

She awoke a few days later. She could no longer feel pain in her ankle but felt like her head was on fire. It was one of the most unpleasant feelings she had ever experienced.

Iris tried to sit up in the hospital bed, "Oh, dear, you must lie down. You are in no fit state to do anything." Madam Pomfrey's voice rang in her ears.

Iris groaned with exhaustion and lay back down in the bed. "How did I get here?" It sounded as if she had laryngitis; her voice was scratchy and barley there.

"Professor Snape found you. You got lucky; it could have been a lot worse. You could have been lying out there all night long. Now, here, you have to drink this." She was walking towards Iris with a glass of mystery liquid. She held up her head as Madam Pomfrey put the glass up to her mouth for her to drink. The elixir was tasteless but had a thick texture.

"What happened to me?" her throat was raw and irritated.

"Before Severus found you I have not a clue, but I do know, from what he told me, that you had collapsed from what seemed to be exhaustion from trying to get yourself to the castle. I have to admit, you made it farther than I would have, especially in the state that you were in." Madam Pomfrey was busying herself with other things as she talked.

"What time is it?" Iris frantically thought.

"It's only a quarter to nine, why?" she asked inquiringly, stopping what she was doing to look at Iris.

"I have to get to class." Iris was trying to think of all the things that she could have possibly missed already.

Madam Pomfrey laughed, "You have to stay here, at least till Monday. You are far too weak to do anything."

Iris let out a heavy sigh, "How long have I been here?"

"I would say since-lets see- you arrived Sunday night-you've been in here for-four or five days. Today is Friday."

Iris was clearly shocked by the information that she had just received, "Have I been asleep the whole time?"

Madam Pomfrey was changing the sheets and fluffing the pillows of one of the beds. "For the most part; now, it is time for you to rest."

She had started making her way to her office when she remembered something, "Oh and while you were asleep you had a few visitors; those two Weasley boys and Longbottom. Those Weasleys are really persistent; they came up here every chance they could get even if I wouldn't let them in. You've got some good friends there." then she disappeared behind the walls of her office.

Yes I do, thought Iris. She didn't feel like falling asleep just yet when she was just asleep for almost a week.

Iris took a look at the bedside tables that had been overflowing with gifts and cards. She looked over to Madam Pomfrey's office to see if there was any chance that she would emerge anytime soon. When it seemed clear, Iris propped herself up on her pillows.

In the middle of all the trinkets there was a vase full of flowers but when Iris looked for the card, she couldn't find one; that's strange, she thought.

Aside from that, Fred and George had made her cards, that included the traditional cheesy jokes and puns, and a box of Bernie Botts Every Flavor Beans, Neville had gotten her a box of chocolate frogs, Ginny gave her a card saying, _'Get Well Soon'_, and Luna had given her a issue of _'The Quibbler'_ that included an article about Nargles.

Iris's insides warmed immediately. It felt good to be cared about. She fell asleep with that happy thought in mind.


	27. Chapter 27

It was now Sunday and Fred and George had come to visit. It was their first visit where she was actually awake.

"How are you kid?" Fred asked.

"I've been better," Iris's throat was still quite sore and she was still confined to bed rest.

George was sitting on the end of her bed while Fred was seated in a chair that he pulled up.

"I can't wait to get out of here tomorrow. You don't even know how boring it is re-reading the same _Quibbler_ over and over again." Iris laughed for the first time but quickly stopped because it hurt.

George was watching her, "Well at least you're alive and well-well, mostly alive."

They all laughed at this and then fell silent. "So tell me what have I missed so far? Is there anything interesting happening?"

Fred and George exchanged furtive glances, "We'll tell you if you tell us what happened to you first." Fred had a cocky smile on his face.

"Fine, but your news better be good." Iris took in a sharp breath and let it out slowly.

"Oh, don't worry, it is well worth the wait, trust us." Fred gave Iris a wink.

"Alright, you know how we had that incident on the train? Well after you two left I fell asleep and when I finally had woken up, no one was there and the train was leaving." They both looked like eager dogs waiting for a bone. "I ran to find a door so that I could get out but they had all locked, so I jumped out of the back of the caboose on to the platform."

"You did that?" Fred was watching Iris. He looked like he didn't want to believe her.

"It doesn't matter what she did, at least she didn't kill herself, right." George interjected. He intended for it to sound light-hearted and airy but it came out defensive and protective.

"George, it's ok. Yes I'm alive but if someone had told me that I don't know if I would believe it either." Iris felt her face grow red as he looked at her at the sound of his name.

"Continue, please," gestured Fred.

"Anyways, I had twisted my ankle when I jumped and I walked all the way up the castle in the pouring rain. I finally was so tired and cold that I could go any further and I collapsed in the mud. What happened after that I'm not sure; Madam Pomfrey told me that Snape found me and brought me here."

"Snape?" they both said in unison.

"Wait. You mean to tell me that Snape carried you here? Why was he even looking for you? You're not even in his house." Fred was puzzling over this.

"It doesn't matter. I was found and brought here to be treated. There is nothing really complicated about it." Iris was smiling ridiculously at them.

"Aside from me now, what is your news?" George seemed to perk up at this change in conversation.

"We have a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. He is an ex-auror. He goes by 'Mad-Eye Moody'. He's a little eccentric and is half bonkers. But other than that he seems no different than our other DADA teachers." George was explaining.

"That's beside the point," Fred butted in, "We are hosting the Tri-Wizard Tournament! Except only students over seventeen can enter." He said this last sentence in mock disapproval.

"That's not the only thing either, Durmstrang Institute and Beauxbatons Academy of Magic is coming here for the entire year!" They were both greatly excited by the news. Only Iris was still confused.

"Wait, what is the Tri-Wizard Tournament?" they both looked at each other.

Fred cleared his throat, "Eternal glory! That's what awaits the student who wins The Tri-wizard Tournament, but to do this, that student must survive three tasks; three extremely dangerous tasks." He perfected an imitation of Dumbledore.

"In other words, it's a competition that concludes of three very difficult and dangerous tasks that usually end up with a death toll. If you pass all the tasks with the most points you win, if you don't get killed first. Our brother, Charlie, is supposed to be coming. The git; he didn't tell us anything. I can't wait to see him so we can put stink pellets in his pockets." George had started talking more to Fred than Iris.

"And the best part is that the champion gets one thousand Galleons! That's why Georgie and I are entering."

Iris almost spit out her concoction that Madam Pomfrey made her drink everyday. "What do you mean your entering? You aren't of age yet and you could get killed! You can't do that!"

"Oh but we have a way. There is always a way." Fred reassured her.

"An ageing potion," George added confidently winking cockily at Iris.

"I can't believe you-." They were stopped mid-argument because Madam Pomfrey had come out of her office.

"Alright boys you are going to have to let Miss Blackthorne rest." She lingered around until both Fred and George, stood up to leave then she walked slowly back to her office.

"Well, I guess we will see you tomorrow at breakfast then?" Fred asked.

"Yeah, bright and early," Iris said, her voice came out sounding hoarser than it was. "Please stay out of trouble; for me, at least for now."

"We can't promise anything," mused George. They both winked at Iris simultaneously then left.

Once they had gone, Madam Pomfrey came back out, "Causing trouble again, are they?"

"I wouldn't expect anything less," Whispered Iris to herself.


	28. Chapter 28

The next day, Iris was out of the Hospital Wing and was making her way towards the Great Hall.

She received her schedule from McGonagall and wasn't surprised to find Herbology, Care of Magical Creatures, and then Double Divinations in the afternoon to top it all off.

Fred and George were sitting always with Lee Jordan deep in conversation about aging potions. Iris rolled her eyes at them and continued with her breakfast with Neville.

All together it was going to be a hectic, long day ahead.

"Bubotubers, they need squeezing. You will collect the pus-," started Professor Sprout.

"The what?" Sounded Seamus's revolted voice.

"Pus, Mr. Finnegan, Pus, and it's extremely valuable so don't waste it. You will collect the pus, I say, in these bottles. Wear your Dragon Hide gloves; it can do funny things to the skin when undiluted Bubotuber pus."

Iris found the task ahead disgusting and nauseating. The smell the pus emitted filled her nostrils and a headache started to form.

"This'll keep Madam Pomfrey happy; an excellent remedy for the more stubborn forms of acne, Bubotuber pus. It should stop students resorting to more desperate measures to rid themselves of pimples." Professor Sprout had corked the last bottle of pus.  
"Like poor Eloise Midgen. She tried to curse hers off." Hannah Abbott, a Hufflepuff contributed.

"Silly girl; but Madam Pomfrey fixed her nose back on in the end." Professor Sprout added.

The bell rang to go to the next lesson which was Care of Magical Creatures. Hagrid was waiting for the class with his Boarhound, Fang, by his side. Next to him were crates filled with hideous lobster-like creatures that had seemed to be deformed.

As the rest of the class appeared, Lavender Brown had taken a look into the crates and screamed.

"On'y jus' hatched, so yeh'll be able ter raise 'em yerselves! Thought we'd make a bit of a project of it!" Hagrid said proudly.

"And why would we want to raise them?" Draco's voice cut through the chatter about the Blast-Ended Skrewts. Hagrid didn't know how to answer. "I mean, what do they do? What is the point of them?"

Pondering the questions for a moment or two, "Tha's next lesson, Malfoy. Yer jus' feedin' 'em today. Now, yeh'll wan' ter try 'em on a few diff'rent things-I've never had 'em before, not sure what they'll go fer-I got ant eggs an' frog livers an' a bit o' grass snake-just try 'em out with a each."

Iris who was standing near Dean and Seamus had overheard Seamus, "First pus and now this." Iris couldn't help but stifle a laugh.

As everyone took a Skrewt, Iris came to the conclusion that the task would be impossible because they didn't seem to have mouths.

"Ouch!" Dean yelled in pain. A Skrewt had exploded and was propelled forward. "It got me! Its end exploded!" He indicated to a burn on his hand.

Hagrid rushed over to them. "Ah, yeah, that can happen when they blast off."

"Eurgh!" screamed Lavender, "Eurgh, Hagrid, what's that pointy thing?"

Hagrid became very enthusiastic, "Ah, some of 'em have got stings. I reckon they're the males…the females've got sorta sucker things on their bellies…I think they might be ter suck blood."

Everyone had slowly removed their hands from the box and inched away from it.

Malfoy was muttering under his breath in a sarcastic tone, "Well, I certainly see why we're trying to keep them alive. Who wouldn't want a pet that can burn, sting and bite all at once?"

Hermione overheard him and retorted, "Just because they're not pretty, it doesn't mean they're not useful. Dragon's Blood is very magical but you wouldn't want a dragon for a pet, would you?"

The class ended almost an hour later and Iris made her way with Neville, Dean and Seamus back to the castle for lunch.


	29. Chapter 29

Divinations class was afterwards. Iris made her way to the NorthTower and seated herself with Neville sitting across from her in the dim, lamp lit room that had the same perfume like smell emanating from it.

Professor Trelawney looked just as deranged and owl-like as she did last year. "Good day," came the misty voice of Trelawney.

Iris was seated close to the front of the room and could feel the stares of the other students as Professor Trelawney approached her.

She wore a most tragic expression on her face as she looked upon Iris, "You are preoccupied, my dear. My inner eye sees past your brave face to the troubled soul within. And I regret to say that your worries are not baseless. I see difficult times ahead for you, alas…most difficult…I fear that the thing you dread will indeed come to pass…and perhaps sooner than you think…" her voice dropping bellow a whisper now and withdrew to her large winged armchair. Iris could feel her stomach drop and she had a sudden urge that she would be sick.

"My dears, it is time for us to consider the stars. The movement of the planets and the mysterious portents they reveal only to those who understand the steps of the celestial dance. Human destiny may be deciphered by the planetary rays, which intermingle…"

Iris couldn't help but feel herself being lulled to sleep by the perfumed fire crackling in the fireplace. Professor Trelawney's voice started to fade into the hum of the fire behind her.

Iris was once again dreaming but of what she didn't know. She stepped up the steps of an old abandon house and there was a door that appeared to be open with people moving around inside. She peered in only to find a man who resembled a rat and a small figure wrapped up on an armchair; its face was not visible but it spoke.

Its voice was high and shrill. The tone it spoke with was sharp and cold. Its words were indistinguishable. A snake had slithered by Iris's foot causing her to jump. She covered her mouth to suppress a scream from escaping her lips. She didn't want the person inside the dilapidated room to hear her.

As soon as she peered around the corner of the room it disappeared but could hear a distinct ringing and Iris was woken by the sound of the bell.

Iris picked up her bag after wiping the sleep out of her eyes and made her way to dinner.


	30. Chapter 30

Draco was holding a news paper and was apparently reading something from it. Hexes started to fly over Iris's head. She dropped to the floor and pulled her wand out prepared to protect herself. BANG!

Before she could act a monstrous, gruff voice yelled, "OH NO YOU DON'T!" Professor Moody had limped over to a trembling white ferret on the marble steps. He was terribly scarred and had a magical eye that swiveled sickeningly in its socket.

"Did he get you?" His eye had turned on Harry and Iris who were the only two still in the corridor. Crabbe and Goyle had run off towards the dungeon to escape the intimidating presence of Moody.

"No, missed," said Harry. Iris just shook her head.

The ferret started to scamper away from Moody and he turned his wand on it. "I don't think so! I don't like people who attack when their opponents back's turned. Stinky, cowardly, scummy thing to do…" Moody was bouncing the ferret up and down in mid air.

Iris had just realized that Moody must have turned Malfoy into the terrified ferret that was now suspended in air, hitting it off the stone floor with some great force.

Iris had to admit that she didn't much care for Malfoy but this was wrong. She ran up to Moody and grabbed the ferret away from him. She moved away a few feet with Malfoy clutched in her hands. He frantically crawled up her arm and was now hiding in her hair trying to get as far away from Professor Moody as possible.

Professor McGonagall had come down the stairs in time to see what Moody had been doing and what actions Iris had taken to stopping it. "Professor Moody!"

"Hello, Professor McGonagall," he said calm as ever.

"What-what were you doing that Miss Blackthorne had to stop you?" Iris could feel Malfoy, still in the form of a ferret squeaking and twitching nervously.

"Teaching," he stated simply.

"Teach-Professor Moody! Is that a student?" she demanded as she dropped the books that she was carrying.

"Well technically it's a ferret." McGonagall came bounding down the stairs towards him with her wand drawn.

"No! Moody, we never use transfiguration as punishment. Surely Professor Dumbledore told you that?" she said weakly. Iris could feel Malfoy poke his white head out of her red hair.

"He might've mentioned it, yeah, but I thought a good sharp shock-." Moody stated unconcernedly.

"We give detentions, Moody! Or we speak to the offender's Head of House!" McGonagall snapped sharply.

"I'll do that then," he was looking towards the slightly emerged ferret in Iris's hair that withdrew as he looked at him with disgust and dislike.

"Now, Miss Blackthorne, I think it is the appropriate time to return Mr. Malfoy to normal. May I?" She had looked towards the quivering ferret nestled in her hair.

Iris put her hand up for Draco to climb onto. She handed him gently over to McGonagall who was looking at him as if she was considering him. She placed him on the floor between herself and Iris.

With a loud snap Draco was himself once more; no more hair or tail. He was still trembling slightly, especially as Moody looked at him. His sleek blond hair was tussled and unkempt from being thrown through the air.

Malfoy looked to Iris with what she thought was a silent 'thank you'. He stood up brushing himself off, standing as far away from Moody as he could.

Moody moved towards Malfoy, who had started to back away from him, "Let's go," he reluctantly made his way with Moody towards the dungeon.

Professor McGonagall stared after them as did Harry and Iris. McGonagall waved her wand and the books that she had been carrying had returned to her arms.

Iris continued on her way down to dinner only to meet Fred and George on the way. "Moody! How cool is he?" Fred jabbered.

"Beyond cool!" George added excitedly.

Lee Jordan had found them and interjected himself into the conversation already in progress, "Super cool! We had him this afternoon."

Iris didn't really like Moody all that much after what he had just done. "Oh? And did you enjoy yourselves?" she said haughtily. She was trying to walk faster than them all but they easily caught up.

"Never had a lesson like it," said Fred.

"He knows, man," Lee interjected.

"Knows what exactly?" she snapped, even though she was somewhat intrigued.

George put his hands on her shoulders, walking beside her and looked at her, "Knows what it's like to be out there doing it." At his touch she could feel some of her resentment ebb away.

"Doing what?" inquired Iris.

"Fighting the Dark Arts," stated Fred.

"He's seen it all," said George dropping his hands from her shoulders.

"Amazing," came Lee Jordan from somewhere behind her.

"Well, I don't have him until Thursday," Iris examined her schedule.

"Believe us it's worth the wait," the twins said at once.


	31. Chapter 31

The next two days had gone as any other except potions. Neville had melted through his sixth cauldron and was given detention. The detention was foul and disgusting; Snape made Neville disembowel an entire barrel of horned toads.

After class, when everyone had left at the sound of the bell for break, Iris thought that it would be appropriate to thank Snape. After all he had saved her.

Snape was standing by his desk reading through the essays that they had handed in about Veritaserum ands its many properties.

Iris silently made her way forward. Snape looked up at her as if he wasn't surprised to see her standing in front of him, "Ah, Miss Blackthorne?"

Iris took in a deep breath; she was fidgeting with her robes as she looked at him, "I just wanted to say…thank you…for-."

Snape had cut her off, "You needn't speak of it….your welcome." He was whispering but his expression was still stony and unchanging.

Iris gave him a shy, closed lip smile. She turned to leave and was at the door when his voice called for her attention; she looked back at him, but he wasn't looking at her, "I also understand that you saved Mr. Malfoy from Professor Moody. I assure you that he is very grateful even if he may wish not to say it himself.

Iris gave a simple nod, "Thank you, Professor." She left after, leaving the dungeon behind her.

Defense Against the Darks Arts class was approaching. When Iris arrived almost all of the seats had been filled except for the one next to Draco. She took it without thinking.

Iris took out her book for the class, _'The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self Protection.'_ Moody walked in and Iris could see the clawed wooden foot that protruded from under his cloak.

As soon as he was at the front of the room, his magical eye seemed to be looking over Malfoy and Iris sitting next to each other. "You can put those away-those books. You won't need them."

He clambered over to the desk and took role. He stopped and paused at Iris's name, looking up from the roster. "Blackthorne?" She raised her hand timidly. He had the slight expression of hidden surprise.

As his magical and real eye bore into her she could feel everyone else in the class looking at her. Moody flicked his tongue as if he were a snake. He didn't say anything else to her; he continued to take role.

"Right then." He slammed the roster down on the desk. I've had a letter from Professor Lupin about this class. Seems you've had a pretty thorough grounding in tackling Dark creatures-you've covered Boggarts, Red Caps, hinkypunks, grindylows, Kappas and werewolves, is that right?" there were some mumbled responses' from around the room. "But you're behind-very behind-on dealing with curses. So I'm here to bring you up to scratch on what wizard's can do to each other. I've got one year to teach you how to deal with Dark-."

"What, aren't you staying?" Ron blurted out.

Moody had considered him and then smiled. "You'll be Arthur Weasley's son, eh? Your father got me out of a very tight corner a few days ago…Yeah, I'm only staying just this one year. Special favor to Dumbledore…One year, then back to my quiet retirement. So-straight into it. Curses. They come in many strengths and forms. Now, according to the Ministry of Magic, I'm supposed to teach you counter curses and leave it at that. I'm not supposed to show you what illegal curses look like until you're in your sixth year. You're not supposed to be old enough to deal with it till then. But Professor Dumbledore's got a higher opinion of your nerves, he reckons you can cope and I say the sooner you know what you're up against the better. How are you going to defend yourselves against something you've never seen? A wizard who is about to put an illegal curse isn't going to tell you what he's about to do. He's not going to do it all nice and polite to your face. You need to be prepared. You need to be alert and watchful. You need to put that away, Miss Brown, when I'm talking."

Lavender had been showing Parvati her completed horoscope under her desk.

"So…do any of you know which curses are most heavily punished by wizard law?" Moody pointed to Ron who had his hand up.

"Well… my dad told me about one… is it called the Imperius Curse or something?" Ron answered tentatively.

"Ah, yes, your father would know all about that one. Gave the Ministry a lot of trouble at one time, the Imperius Curse." Moody opened his desk draw and withdrew a glass bottle with three spiders inside. He pointed his wand at the spider he removed, _"Imperio!"_

The spider was in his control and he made it perform a circus act. Everyone was laughing except for Moody and Iris. "Think it's funny do you? You would like it, would you, if I did it to you?" the class fell silent once more.

"Total control. I could make it jump out the window, drown itself, throw itself down one of your throats… Years back, there were a lot of witches and wizards being controlled by the Imperius Curse. Some job for the Ministry, trying to sort out who was being forced to act, and who was acting on their own free will. The Imperius Curse can be fought, and I'll be teaching you how, but it takes real strength and character and not everyone's got it. Better to avoid being hit with it if you can. CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" Moody barked causing everyone to jump.

He put the Imperiused spider back, "Anyone else knows one? Another illegal curse?"

Hermione's and Neville's hand both shot into the air. "Yes? Longbottom is it?"

Neville swallowed nervously, "There is the Cruciatus Curse."

"The Cruciatus Curse," He pointed his wand at the new spider that he set upon his desktop, "Needs to be a bit bigger for you to get the idea, _'Engorgio'_." The spider swelled to the size of a tarantula. _"Crucio!"_ Moody cast the curse and the spider started to writhe in pain and anguish. If it had had a voice, Iris was sure that it would have screamed. It was twitching violently.

Iris couldn't stand what he was doing. "Stop it!" She yelled and everyone turned their eyes on her. Moody looked up too. _"Reducio!"_ He withdrew his wand and placed the tortured spider back into the bottle with the others.

Without taking his eyes off her, "Pain. You don't need thumbscrews and knives to torture somebody if you know the Cruciatus Curse. That one was also very powerful at the time."

Moody slowly made his way towards Iris. "I know that you know the last one, Miss Blackthorne, eh?" He was speaking in a significant whisper.

Iris knew it. She dreamed about it frequently; the green light emanating from the wand tip of the hooded figure masked in shadows. She looked away from him, "_Avada Kedavra_," She whispered.

Everyone shifted uneasily as she said it. "Ah, yes the last and worst, _Avada Kedavra,_ the Killing Curse."

Moody had walked back to his desk and the jar of spiders. He placed it on the desktop and as if Iris could feel it hit her, he yelled, _"Avada Kedavra!"_ Iris could feel Draco looking out the corner of his eye at her.

The unmistakable flash of green light had hit the spider and it lay on the desktop unmoving and lifeless.

"Not nice. Not pleasant. And there is no countercurse. There is no blocking it. Only one person has ever survived it and he's sitting right in front of me."

Iris had heard the story plenty of times about how Harry's parents had gave their lives to protect him and got killed by He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named or Lord Voldemort. In using the Killing Curse on Harry, it had backfired and killed him. After Harry was found, he was taken to his aunt and uncles to live.

Iris thought that hers and Harry's stories were similar but vastly different. Her parents were murdered the same way and they were both orphans.

"Avada Kedavra' is a curse that needs a powerful bit of magic behind it-you could all get your wands out know and point them at me and say the words and I doubt that I would get so much as a nosebleed. But that doesn't matter. I'm not here to teach you how to do it. Now, if there is no countercurse, then why am I showing you? Because you've got to know. You've got to appreciate what the worst is. You don't want to find yourself in a situation were your facing it. CONSTANT VIGILENCE!" Moody roared and the entire class jumped again.

"Now, the three curses-Avada Kedavra, Imperio, and Cruciatus-are known as the Unforgivable Curses. The use of anyone of them on a fellow human being is enough to earn a life sentence to Azkaban. That's what you're up against. That's what I've got to teach you to fight. You need preparing. You need arming. But most of all, you need to practice, constant, non-ceasing vigilance. Get out your quills…copy this down…"

They all spent the rest of class taking notes on the curses. No one spoke until after the bell rang. Defense Against the Dark Arts was Iris's last class of the day so she headed up to the Gryffindor common room.


	32. Chapter 32

Iris, along with everyone else had noticed an increase amount of homework they had assigned to them. For Iris it wasn't much of a hassle but for others it was drowning them.

Even Hagrid had given them the project of coming down in the evening and observing the Blast Ended Skrewts after classes. Malfoy objected immensely during there next Care of Magical Creatures lesson. "I will not. I see enough of those foul things during lessons, thanks."

Hagrid apparently took great offense to this. "Yeh'll do wha' yer told, or I'll be takin' a leaf outta Professor Moody's book…I hear yeh make a good ferret, Malfoy." Malfoy turned pink and glanced over at Iris who caught his eye.

Once back in the entrance hall of the castle there was a large sign with students of all houses and years gathered around it. It was announcing the arrival of Durmstrang and Beauxbatons.

_TRI-WIZARD TOURNAMENT:_

_The delegations from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will be arriving at six o'clock on Friday the thirtieth of October. Lessons will end half and hour early. Students will return their bags and books to their dormitories and assemble to the front of the castle to greet our guests before the Welcoming Feast._

"Only a week away!" came the voice of Ernie Macmillan.

Seeing the sign seemed to put everyone in a different mood. The castle seemed to be cleaner and portraits that were once dingy and grimy had become spotless and pristine.

It was the night of the arrival and everyone was chattering about absolutely nothing else.

McGonagall was helping get the Gryffindors in line as were the other Heads of Houses. They had all filed out of the entrance hall and into the grounds, only a few yards from where Snape had found Iris laying in the mud.

Everyone was waiting silently waiting with anticipation etched on their faces. "There!" yelled a sixth year pointing to somewhere over the forest.

A large sky blue carriage being pulled by giant winged horses landed on the grounds ahead of them with a thunderous thud. The insignia on the carriage door was an intricate design of two golden wands that were crossed with three stars shooting out of each of them.

Emerging from the carriage was woman that was at least as tall as Hagrid, if not taller. Following her towards the castle were the students. They were dressed in silky blue dresses and had matching hats.

The conversation between Dumbledore and the woman couldn't be heard over the loud conversations that were now taking place in the cluster of Hogwarts students.

"The Lake!" shouted Lee Jordan. Everyone turned to look. Out of the desolate lake, a ship was emerging from the dark water; its masts and sails were swallowed by the darkness but still visible.

As the ship docked the students and their Headmaster had made their way towards Hogwarts; they had all been wearing heavy robes. The man that led them was wearing magnificent furs of many kinds. He had greeted Dumbledore graciously.


	33. Chapter 33

Iris watched the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students enter Hogwarts. McGonagall then escorted all of the Hogwarts students into the Great Hall after them. The Durmstrang boys seated themselves at the Slytherin table and Beauxbatons girls at Ravenclaw.

Dumbledore stood up to speak, "Good Evening, ladies and gentlemen, ghosts and -most particularly-guests. I have the great pleasure in welcoming you all to Hogwarts. I hope and trust that your stay here will be both comfortable and enjoyable. The tournament will be officially opened at the end of the feast. I now invite you to eat, drink and make yourselves at home!" everyone in the Great Hall applauded as the plates in front of them filled with food.

Iris was sitting near Fred and George as usual but was talking more to Dean, Seamus and Neville who were also seated close to her.

One of the girls from the Ravenclaw table that was clearly a Beauxbatons student was making her way over to the Gryffindor table. She had waist length silvery blond hair.

She walked up to Harry, Ron and Hermione who were only a few seats away. Her accent was very French. She had asked for something that Iris didn't know the name of.

George was talking to Iris, "So we have a fool proof plan on how…" As the girl walked away George's attention went along with her. It had seemed to Iris that all of the boys at the table were doing the same thing.

Iris couldn't help but feel a bit jealous of the girl and how beautiful she was. She turned back to George who was still staring after her and snapped her fingers, trying to get his attention. Iris could hear Ron say, "She's a Veela!"

When he finally came to, he completely lost track of what they had been talking about. Iris rolled her eyes and started a conversation with Neville, turning her back on him.

The sound of the Great Halls doors opening caught Iris's attention. As she turned around she saw two men walking in towards the front of the room. One was potbellied and the other had a thin mustache and a bowler hat. They took their seats at the front of the room at the Staff table.

Dumbledore had stood up once more. Fred and George were watching him attentively. George was leaning forward, resting his chin on Iris's shoulder with anticipation lingering on his face. He wrapped his long arms around her middle, making himself more comfortable as Iris leaned into him.

"The moment has come. The Tri-Wizard Tournament is about to start. I would like to say a few words of explanation before we bring in the casket, just to clarify the procedure that we will be following this year. But first, let me introduce, for those of you who do not know them, Mr. Bartemius Crouch, Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation and Mr. Ludo Bagman, Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports."

There was immense applause for Mr. Bagman but only a scatter of polite claps for Crouch.

"Mr. Bagman and Mr. Crouch have been working tirelessly over the last few months on the arrangements for the Tri-Wizard Tournament and they will be joining myself, Professor Karkaroff and Madame Maxime on the panel that will judge the champions' efforts; the casket, then, if you please, Mr. Filch." Dumbledore beamed at the upturned faces of the numerous students

Filch had been lurching in the back of the Great Hall. Iris turned in time to see him carrying a box that was encrusted in jewels.

"The instructions for the tasks the champions will face this year have already been explained by Mr. Crouch and Mr. Bagman and they have made the necessary arrangements for each challenge. There will be three challenges spaced throughout the school year, and they will challenge the champions in many different ways…their magical powers-their daring-their powers of deduction-and of course, their ability to cope with danger. As you know, three champions compete in the tournament; one from each of the participating schools." Everyone was so silent that Iris thought no one must have been breathing.

"They will be marked on how well they perform each of the tournaments tasks and the champion with the highest total after all three tasks will win the Tri-Wizard Cup. The champions shall be chosen by an impartial selector: the Goblet of Fire."

Dumbledore tapped the top of the wooden casket three times with his wand. As the cover lifted, Dumbledore reached into the casket and pulled out a wooden chiseled goblet that would have been unremarkable if it hadn't been overflowing with white and blue flames. At the sight of the cup George gave Iris a slight squeeze causing her to smile to herself.

"Anyone wishing to submit themselves as champions must write their name and school clearly upon a slip of parchment and drop it into the goblet. Aspiring champions have twenty-four hours in which to put their name forward. Tomorrow night, Halloween, the goblet will return the names of the three it has judged most worthy to represent their schools. The goblet will be placed in the entrance hall tonight, where it will be freely accessible to all those wishing to compete. To ensure that no underage student yields to temptation, I will be drawing an Age Line around the Goblet of Fire once it has been placed in the entrance hall. Nobody under the age of seventeen will be able to cross the line."

Dumbledore's tone turned more serious, "Finally, I wish to impress upon any of you wishing to compete that this tournament is not to be entered lightly. Once a champion is selected by the Goblet of Fire, he or she is obliged to see the tournament through to the end. The placing of your name in the goblet constitutes a binding magical contract. There can be no change of heart once you have become a champion. Please be very sure, therefore, that you are wholeheartedly prepared to play before you drop your name into the goblet. Now, I think that it is time for bed. Goodnight to you all."

"An Age Line!" Fred said exasperatedly. George released Iris and got up to follow Fred, acting like it had never happened. Iris was a little taken aback but shrugged it off. "Well, that should be fooled by an Aging Potion, shouldn't it? And once your name is in that goblet, you're laughing-it can't tell whether you're seventeen or not."

"But I don't think anyone under seventeen would stand a chance. We just haven't learned enough…" Hermione started as soon as Iris caught up to them.

"Speak for yourself," George said shortly. "You'll try to get in, won't you, Harry?"

Karkaroff was blocking the doorway as he looked at Harry's famous scar. Iris wasn't paying attention and walked right into the back of Fred.

As Moody plowed his way through the cluster of waiting students he told Karkaroff to move.

Iris moved with the surging group of students up to Gryffindor tower ready for bed.


	34. Chapter 34

**Sorry for the slight delay in uploading. Enjoy :) Reviews always welcome**

Saturday was just as hectic as Friday. As Iris headed down for breakfast everyone seemed to be standing around the edges of the entrance hall. Iris decided to watch the aspiring champions place their names into the goblet instead.

Moments after, Iris heard the commotion of Fred, George and Lee Jordan making their way down the stairs towards the goblet. All three of them had looks of extreme excitement on their faces.

"Done it; just taken it," Fred whispered to Iris, Harry, Ron and Hermione.

"What?" asked Ron.

"The Ageing Potion, dung brains," said Fred.

"One drop each; we only need to be a few months older." George rubbed his hands together maniacally.

"We're going to split the one thousand Galleons between the three of us if one of us wins." Lee Jordan added jovially.

"I'm not sure this is going to work, you know. I'm sure Dumbledore will have thought of this." Hermione warned them.

They all seemed to ignore her. "Ready?" Fred quivered with excitement, "C'mon, then-I'll go first-." He pulled out a piece of parchment that read _'Fred Weasley-Hogwarts'._

Everyone was watching him as he took a deep inhale of breath, and then crossed the line.

To Iris's surprise it seemed to have worked-George must have thought so also because he followed suit. Iris watched them rejoice for their success.

A loud sizzling noise issued from the Age Line as Fred and George had both been hurled across the entrance hall. Then there was a loud popping noise as both of them sprouted long silver beards. Everyone in the hall laughed as the twins examined each others newly found facial hair, laughing along with everyone else.

"I did warn you," an amused voice said that Iris saw belonged to Dumbledore. "I suggest you both go up to Madam Pomfrey. She is already attending to Miss Fawcett, of Ravenclaw and Mr. Summers of Hufflepuff, both of whom decided to age themselves a little too. Though I must say, neither of their beards is anything as fine as yours."

Fred and George along with Lee headed to the Hospital Wing as Iris made her way to sit in the newly Halloween decorated Great Hall for breakfast.

Iris sat in with Dean and Seamus discussing the students that had already placed their names into the Goblet of Fire.

"There's a rumor going around saying that Warrington got up early and put his name in. That big block from Slytherin that looks like a sloth." Dean said.

"We can't have a Slytherin champion!" Harry, who had joined them, interjected.

"And all the Hufflepuffs are talking about Diggory," added Seamus, "But I wouldn't have thought he would risk his good looks." Iris sniggered at the frank comment.

Iris turned towards the roar of cheers in the entrance hall, Angelina Johnson; the Gryffindor Quidditch Chaser came excitedly towards them. "Well, I've done it. I've put my name in!"

"You're kidding!" exclaimed Ron.

"Are you seventeen, then?" asked Harry.

"'Course she is, can't see a beard, can you?" retorted Ron.

"I had my birthday last week." Angelina addressed Harry.

"Well, I'm glad someone from Gryffindor is entering. I really hope you get it Angelina," Hermione smiled at her.

"Yeah, better you than Pretty-Boy Diggory," Seamus added bitterly causing some passing Hufflepuffs to glare at him.

Fred and George had come back from Madam Pomfrey's clean shaven just in time for the feast. Iris was surprised that at how well they handled their disappointment.

"Hope its Angelina." Fred said to Harry, Ron and Hermione who had just seated themselves.

"So do I," added Hermione, "Well, we'll soon know."


	35. Chapter 35

The feast had seemed to take forever as anticipation from everyone lingered in the air of the crowded Great Hall. The Goblet of Fire had been removed from the entrance hall and was now placed in front of Dumbledore's now empty seat.

"Well, the goblet is almost ready to make its decision. I estimate that it requires one more minute. Now, when the champions' names are called, I would ask them please to come up to the top of the hall, walk along the Staff table, and go through into the next chamber where they will be receiving their first instructions."

"Any second," came Lee Jordan's whispering voice.

Dumbledore gave a slight wave of his wand and the candles floating about the ceiling extinguished themselves leaving the Goblet of Fire to illuminate the dark hall.

The goblet began to burn red it shot out a tongue of fire erupted from it permitting a scrap of charred parchment to float through the still air.

As Dumbledore caught the parchment the flames of the goblet turned back to blue. "The champion for Durmstrang will be Viktor Krum!"

Iris could hear Ron through the storm of applause, "No surprise there!"

Krum made his way down the Staff table and through the door. Once the clapping and cheers had died somewhat, the Goblet of Fire had emitted a deep red flame once more, spitting out another piece of parchment.

"The champion for Beauxbatons is Fleur Delacour!" bellowed Dumbledore.

"It's her, Ron!" Harry shouted as the girl made her way to the next chamber. Iris saw her silver blond hair and had remembered the night before and was hit with a pang of jealousy.

Once the applause had once more died the goblet released the final champion's name. "The Hogwarts champion is Cedric Diggory!" the applause from the Hufflepuff table was so loud that Iris had almost had to cover her ears.

Behind her from somewhere Iris hears someone shout, "No!" and she figured it had been Ron.

It took many moments before Dumbledore could make himself heard, "Excellent! We now have our three champions. I am sure I can count upon all of you, including the remaining students from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons, to give your champions every ounce of support you can muster. By cheering your champion on, you will contribute in a very real-."

Dumbledore stopped speaking and watched as the goblet turned red and bore another scrap of parchment. There was a long pause before he spoke again. He cleared his throat, "Harry Potter."

Everyone turned to look upon him, waiting for an explanation. Harry turned to Ron and Hermione whispering something to them that Iris couldn't hear over the angry buzzing that consumed the Great Hall.

"Harry Potter! Harry! Up here, if you please!" Dumbledore called again.

The buzzing grew louder as Harry made his way to the front of the room and into the room just beyond the Staff table.

After, what seemed like all of the teachers had disappeared into the room after Harry, students were yelling about what had just happened.

Iris didn't want to be around and left the Great Hall and made her way to Gryffindor tower.


	36. Chapter 36

Herbology was an experience that Iris wanted to never again have to go through. Even though she personally did nothing, the Hufflepuffs had blatantly ignored the Gryffindors because Harry's name came out of the cup; stealing the glory that Hufflepuff had received from Cedric's name coming out first.

Iris personally felt that Harry was telling the truth about not putting his name in the goblet. Who in their right mind would want to enter into something that could kill them?

Care of Magical Creatures wasn't much better. Malfoy was already starting trouble when Iris got there. "Ah, look boys, it's the champion. Got your autograph books? Better get you signatures now, because I doubt he'll be around much longer. Half the Tri-Wizard champions have died-How long d'you reckon you'll last, Potter? Ten minutes into the first task I bet."

Hagrid came out of the back of his cabin balancing a crate with a Blast-Ended Skrewt in each that was at least three feet long and covered in grey armor.

Hagrid was explaining that the reason they had been killing each other was due to pent up energy and that he wanted each of them to walk one. "Take this thing for a walk? And where exactly are we supposed to fix the leash? Around the sting, the blasting end or the sucker?"

"Roun' the middle; er- yeh might want to put on yer dragon-hide gloves, jus' as an extra precaution. Harry, you come here an' help me with big one…"

Iris put on her gloves and wrapped a leash around the middle of one of the largest Blast-Ended Skrewts. Iris moved out of the way as her Skrewt had let out a BANG and shot forward several yard causing her to drop the leash in surprise and go running after it.

Iris looked around at her classmates and saw that more than one was being dragged on the ground trying desperately to stand up.

Cedric seemed to be forever gaining more and more praise from the other students as Viktor Krum, the Bulgarian Seeker. Harry seemed to be having a hard time of it; Iris saw that Ron and Harry hadn't been talking and Hermione was always forcing conversation when they sat together. Iris couldn't help but feel terribly for Harry.

In Charms they had been working on summoning spells. Iris got it almost immediately but others, such as Harry and Neville, hadn't and were assigned extra homework.

Iris made her way to double potions only to see Draco and some other Slytherins standing just outside the door. They were all brandishing new badges saying, _'Support Cedric Diggory-the Real Hogwarts champion!'_ that changed into saying, _'Potter Stinks!'_

Iris rolled her eyes as she passed them. Only moments after she entered the classroom did Iris hear the sounds of hexes flying by. Snape marched out of the classroom demanding from the students what happened.

Those that had gotten hit with curses had been sent to the Hospital Wing. The rest entered the class.

Snape turned towards the class as he reached his desk, "Antidotes! You should all have prepared your recipes now. I want you to brew them carefully, and then, we will be selecting someone on whom to test one…" Snape looked directly at Harry.

A sudden knock on the dungeon door and Collin Creevey had entered.

"Yes?" snapped Snape.

"Please, sir, I'm supposed to take Harry Potter upstairs." Collin pleaded.

"Potter still has an hour of potions to complete. He will come upstairs when this class is finished." Snape's voice sounded icy.

"Sir-sir, Mr. Bagman wants him. All the champions have to go; I think they want to take photographs…" Collin had turned pink at Snape's convicting look.

"Very well, very well; Potter, leave your things here. I want you back down here later to test your antidote." He added coldly.

"Please, sir-he's got to take his things with him. All the champions-."

"Very well, Potter, take your bag and get out of my sight!" he barked.

Harry picked up his bag and left the still dungeon with Collin tailing behind him happily.

The rest of the hour they had left in potions dragged on as Snape had tested each of their antidotes. He was somewhat amused at some of the results of the other students but said nothing bad about Iris's.


	37. Chapter 37

It was the first Hogsmeade trip of the year and Iris made her way to Zonko's with Fred and George.

Iris and Fred where discussing dung bombs by the display, "If you want to know if a door has an Imperturbable Charm on it, all you have to do is throw a dung bomb at it. It's as simple as that. The only thing about using a dung bomb is that it leaves your hands a mess." Fred added.

"But then why would you use them?" Iris wondered.

"The laughs it brings along with it!" exclaimed Fred. "Now the stink pellet…"

Iris wasn't paying attention to what he was saying. Her gaze was drawn to George and one of the Beauxbatons girls. They were laughing and clearly flirting; Iris could feel jealousy boiling up inside her but she didn't know why. Was it about the girl or George? Iris's face was burning as red as her fierce hair.

She turned back to Fred who was still going on about other things that he uses for pranks and all around trouble making. Iris picked up something off the shelf to examine it but none of it was registering in her mind. She was to preoccupied thinking about other things.

As her and Fred continued to wander the store, Iris would steal glances at George and the girl still chortling about something. A few times Iris thought that she saw George look at her.

Iris felt that she had to get away from it all. "I have to leave." She whispered to Fred without waiting for his reply and left Zonko's behind her.

Once out of the store Iris felt the calm, cool breeze of autumn brush her face, relaxing her instantly. She lingered there for a few moments and decided to go and join Neville in the Three Broomsticks for a butterbeer.

Iris sat with Neville in one of the only empty booths. It was crammed with people, some of which Iris had never seen before.

She sipped her butterbeer listening to Neville talk about the book that Professor Moody had given him the day of their first lesson. "There is this amazing plant, called Gillyweed, which will allow you to breathe underwater for an hour." Iris nodded in all the right placed and asked questions when she thought necessary. "The only thing is that there is a theory of the effects of freshwater versus saltwater."

A soft chime, that indicated that the door had opened, sounded. Iris turned to see who it was and saw Fred, George, Ron and Lee Jordan clambering into the mass of people. Iris ducked down in her seat at the booth so as not to be seen. Thankfully they walked right by them. Neville gave her a quizzical look but resumed his talking of Herbology.


	38. Chapter 38

It was the day of the first task and Iris made her way to the stadium. The higher up in the stadium that Iris climbed the colder it got.

When she finally found a place to stand, she surveyed the field. It was covered in jagged rocks and gravel and there was a golden egg in the middle of it. In the corner of the field was a cave that was barred to prevent something from getting out. An almighty roar echoed through the stands, shaking them somewhat.

Once everyone piled into the stands a whistle blew and the gate was raised from the cave.

The sun's glare was blinding Iris and she couldn't see the creature make its way into the field until its giant wings had blocked the sun. Everyone in the stands gapped at the sight of the silver-blue dragon that stood at least twenty feet. It caused uproar as it spat bright blue flames over the stands.

Everyone in the stands watched as Cedric came into the field through a passage that Iris hadn't noticed before. Iris didn't want to see what was going to happen so she closed her eyes. Ludo Bagman's commentary rang in her ears.

"Oooh, narrow miss there, very narrow"… "He's taking risks, this one!"… "Clever move-pity it didn't work!" Iris could only imagine the worse. The only time that she did look through her fingers was when Cedric turned a boulder into a dog to distract the dragon.

As soon as Cedric retrieved the egg everyone broke out in cheers and applause. Iris lowered her hands from her face. The color had returned to her as she saw Cedric standing there in one piece except that he had a burn running across his face. "Very good indeed! And now the marks from the judges!"

They each held up a score card giving their individual scores. Iris decided that she would make herself watch the others. "One down, three to go! Miss Delacour, if you please!" yelled Ludo Bagman.

Fleur was up next with a green mountain dragon and was significantly smaller than the previous one.

Fleur had been running around trying to avoid the narrow jets of fire that emitted from its mouth. Bagman was once more narrating the encounter, "Oh, I'm not sure that was wise!"… "Oh…nearly!"… "Careful now…good lord, I thought she'd had it then!"

She raised her wand and the dragon seemed to be subdued into a trance. Fleur darted for the gold egg and grabbed it. The silence of the crowd was broken my more rowdy applause.

In between the breaks in applause while Fleur waited for her scores, Fred and George muscled their way over to Iris who was awaiting the next blow of the whistle.

They stood on either side of her and cheering as the next whistle blew letting Viktor Krum and his Chinese Fireball, as Fred said, into the stadium.

"And here comes Mr. Krum!" Krum came lumbering into the arena. The Fireball let out a menacing horrible shriek while the crowd drew in collective breaths. He darted out of the way as a jet of fire zoomed. Iris could feel the heat of it lick her face.

Viktor threw a conjunctivitis curse at the dragon's eyes and it stumbled about blindly, crushing its own eggs. "Very daring! That's some nerve he's showing-and-yes, he's got the egg!"

The twins cheered in accordance to each other, along with everyone else in the stadium. The next whistle blew before the applause had died away.

Iris knew that Harry would be the next one to enter the enclosure. The cave entrance opened relinquishing a Hungarian Horntail. The gleam in its eye was lethal; it was protecting its precious eggs from Harry.

Iris grabbed Fred's hand and held on tight; he didn't seem to mind but she could see George's knuckles turn white as he tightened his grip on the banister in front of them.

Harry emerged from the break in the fence and raised his wand. He looked deep in concentration as he shouted, _"Accio Firebolt!"_

The broom came zooming through the air over the heads of the students in the highest part of the stands. Harry mounted the broom and soared through the sky, high above the stadium.

Everyone at this point was shouting and cheering but Iris couldn't understand one word of it. He seemed to be surveying the dragon and her nest of eggs, trying to figure a way to get the one he needed.

Harry dived towards the enclosure and pulled out of it just in time to watch a stream of fire pass; Iris cringed as it barley missed him.

As Harry rose again avoiding the dragons violently snapping jaws, he dived again but was struck in the shoulder by a spike on the Horntail's tail. Iris could hear his robes rip and the crowd shriek together at the close call that almost wasn't.

The Horntail watched as Harry zoomed higher and higher out of her reach. She was getting more and more agitated by the moment. She spread her great wings and was unaware that Harry dived for the gold egg and left soaring over the stands out of the dragons reach with a glint of gold under his arm.

Iris screamed and was jumping up and down with excitement, hugging herself against the cold wind that just picked up. Fred and George were high fiving and shouting as well.

Iris gave both of them quick hugs and continued to be in awe of what just happened. As the handlers subdued the outraged Horntail, Harry made his way back to the tent, through the space in the gate where he entered.

Everyone continued to cheer as Harry's scores were shown by the judges. Ludo Bagman, who clearly favored Harry, gave him a ten, despite his injured shoulder; while Karkaroff gave him a four.

After the scores where showed, Dumbledore dismissed everyone back to the castle. Iris made her way up to Gryffindor tower as Fred and George disappeared off to the kitchen to knick some food for the celebration they had been talking about for Harry.


	39. Chapter 39

**Here is yet another late update. Reviews welcome :)**

When Iris walked through the portrait hole everyone seemed to be ready to celebrate and party. When Fred and George had comeback with all the food, Harry, Ron and Hermione had come through the portrait hole. Everyone was shouting and screaming again.

Iris cheered along with them as some waved banners of Harry flying around the great head of the Horntail; after most of the people had calmed down a bit, Harry dived into the food that was laid out.

Lee Jordan picked up the golden egg that Harry had set on a nearby table, "Blimey, this is heavy. Open it, Harry, go on! Let's just see what's inside it!"

"Yeah, go on, Harry, open it!" several people echoed.

Lee passed the egg to Harry; who was feeling for the groove to open it. Iris, along with everyone in the room, covered their ears as a shrill scream pierced the surrounding air.

"Shut it!" bellowed Fred.

"What was that? It sounded like a Banshee…maybe you've got to get past one of them next, Harry!" Seamus added.

"It was someone being tortured! You're going to have to fight the Cruciatus Curse!" Neville said as he dropped sausage rolls all over the floor.

Iris went to go and help Neville clean up, still listening to the conversation. "Don't be a prat, Neville, that's illegal. They wouldn't use the Cruciatus Curse on the champions. I thought it sounded a bit like Percy singing…maybe you've got to attack him in the shower, Harry." George said as people chortled at his joke.

Iris smiled to herself. "Want a jam tart, Hermione?" Fred asked handing her the plate. She looked at it doubtfully.

"It's alright; I haven't done anything to them. It's the custard creams you've got to watch-." Neville began to choke and spit out the pastry he had just put in his mouth.

"Just my little joke, Neville-," continued Fred.

Iris was hitting Neville on the back to get him to stop coughing. When he was finally breathing again she went to go sit on the couch in between Fred and George. She could feel George's gaze burn her as he watched her sit down.

"Did you get all this from the kitchen, Fred?" inquired Hermione.

"Yep, anything we can get you, sir, anything at all,'" Fred imitated a house elf's high squeaky voice. "They're dead helpful…get me a roast ox if I was peckish."

"How do you get in there?" Hermione asked in a casual tone, making it all the more suspicious.

"Easy, concealed behind a painting of a bowl of fruit; just tickle the pear, and it giggles and-. Why?" Fred asked suspiciously.

"Nothing," she stated simply.

"Going to try and lead the house-elves out on strike now, are you? Going to give up the leaflet stuff and try to stir them up into rebellion?" George added. Iris chuckled at this but didn't look at him.

"Don't you go upsetting them and telling them they've got to take clothes and salaries! You'll put them off their cooking," warned Fred.

Just as Fred finished his warning to Hermione about the house-elves, there was a loud POP! and Iris turned to see that Neville turned into an oversized canary.

"Oh-sorry, Neville! I forgot-it was the custard creams we hexed-." Iris had started to get up to go and assist Neville but George grabbed her wrist and pulled her back onto the couch.

"Just watch," he said over the laughter. Iris watched as only a moment after the transformation had happened, the feathers molted off Neville's body and he was once more himself.

"Canary Creams! George and I invented them-seven sickles each, a bargain!" Fred yelled to the excitable crowd.

It was past one in the morning when Iris headed for bed. People were still in the common room when she made her way for the girl's dormitories.

In Care of Magical Creatures class the Skrewts had dwindled down to only being ten. It was the beginning of December and Hagrid had nailed the Skrewts into wooden crates to see if they would hibernate.

Professor Trelawney was still predicting Harry's early and imminent death; she was also adamant about telling Iris that her future was plagued with darkness and misery.


	40. Chapter 40

Iris was sitting at breakfast when the owl post was arriving when, Nigel, a first year, came lumbering in towards Ron with a hefty package. "Look, Mum sent me something."

Ron tore the paper of the package and opened the box to reveal a very unique set of dress robes. "Mum sent me a dress." He looked nonplussed, holding the dress length robes up to his body.

"Well it does match your eyes. Is there a bonnet? Aha!" Harry pulled something long and frilly out of the box and held it up to Ron.

Ron rolled his eyes out of embarrassment, "Put those down, Harry." He walked down the table towards Ginny, "Ginny, these must be for you."

She looked disgusted, "I'm not wearing that, it's ghastly."

Hermione was cackling with painful laughter, "They're not for Ginny, they're for you; Dress robes."

"Dress robes? For what?" Everyone around Ron was laughing in great measure. Even Iris had to admit that his face along with the robes were a little ridiculous.

Days after the first week of December, Professor McGonagall called for all of the Gryffindors, that were fourth year and up, to her classroom.

Iris made her way with Neville, Dean and Seamus to her room. As soon as they walked through the doors they were stopped, "Boys on the left, girls on the right, please!" McGonagall was directing the traffic of students.

Iris sat next to Hermione and was waiting for McGonagall to speak. At the end of the room was a giant gramophone and standing next to it was Filch.

Once all of the boys and girls were seated McGonagall spoke, "Now that I have your attention this is an important announcement." She stopped to look around at everyone.

"The Yule Ball has been tradition of the Tri-Wizard Tournament since its inception. On Christmas Eve night, we and our guests gather in the Great Hall for well, mannered, frivolity." Iris could see Fred and George sniggering as McGonagall said this.

"As representatives of the host school, I expect each and every one of you to put your best foot forward, and I mean this literally because the Yule ball is first and foremost, a dance."

All the girls on Iris's side of the room gasped in surprise and delight, and then started to chatter about the sudden news with the person sitting closest to them. Even Iris could see that Hermione was excited.

The boys across the room had had the complete opposite reaction. They all looked at each other and let out groans of displeasure; all except Fred and George who were still laughing about the whole thing.

Iris caught Fred's eye and he winked at her causing her to blush bright pink. Trying to hide it she turned back towards McGonagall. She thought she heard George whisper, "Why did you go and do that?" Iris could hear one of them say, 'ouch!'

"Silence! The House of Godric Gryffindor has commanded the respect of the Wizarding world for nearly ten centuries. I will not have you, in the course of a single evening besmirching that name by behaving like a Babbling, Bumbling Band of Baboons." Fred and George had started trying to say it five times fast.

"Now to dance is to let the body breathe. Inside every girl, a secret swan slumbers, longing to burst forth and take flight."

Iris heard Ron whisper to Harry, "Something's about to burst out of Eloise Midgen but I don't think it's a swan." Seamus and Harry were repressing painful laughter.

McGonagall must have heard him for she turned on him faster than Iris thought was possible, "Inside every boy, a lordly lion prepared to prance-Mr. Weasley?"

"Yes?" he said timidly, knowing that he was in trouble. There were fits of laughter from both sides of the room.

"Would you join me, please?" They walked back to the middle of the room, "Now, place your hand on my waist."

"Where?" Ron asked completely nonplussed.

"On my waist," McGonagall repeated. As Ron did so George wolf-whistled at him causing him to raise his fist to make an obscene gesture. McGonagall grabbed his arm before it could be completed and put it back on her waist. "Now, bend your arm-Mr. Filch, if you please-."

Filch placed the needle of the gramophone on the record and an ancient melody was heard throughout the room.

McGonagall started counting steps as she and Ron moved to the rhythm, "One-two-three-one-two-three…" Iris saw Fred and George miming Ron dancing and couldn't help but laugh.

Then Harry was whispering to them, "Oy, you're never going to let him forget this, are you?"

Fred and George looked at each other and simultaneously said, "Never."

McGonagall had stopped dancing with Ron and was talking to the students as a whole now, "Students, come together; boys on your feet." All the girls in the room stood up at once, but none of the boys did except Neville.

At the sight of Neville standing up, Fred and George did as well, walking across the room towards Iris.

Iris wasn't expecting it, as they both took one of her hands, pulling her to the center of the room. Iris could feel everyone's eyes on them. Fred asked in mocking tone, "May I have this dance?" His wink was flirty and meaninglessly innocent.

Iris tilted her head slightly, smiling, "Yes you may." Fred was playing the part quite well and bowed to keep up appearances; Iris curtsied back.

They tried to mimic McGonagall and Ron as the music continued to play. Fred placed one of his hands on Iris's waist and the other in her hand. She put her unoccupied hand on his broad shoulder.

As Fred spun Iris around she caught sight of George who was smiling like everyone else in the room except his was one of sad jealous longing.

McGonagall was trying to get students, who were still watching them, paired up while keeping and eye on Fred and Iris; a smile on her aged face.

As the song ended, a new one started and George stopped them. "Mind if I cut in, Freddie?"

"Not at all, Georgie," Fred let go of Iris and slapped George on the back as he left to go and dance with Angelina; letting him take the lead. As soon as George had taken Fred's place, it felt completely different. It felt more serious and comfortable.

They weren't trying to dance the way McGonagall showed them. Instead, George wrapped both of his arms around Iris's waist and she had put both of hers around his neck.

Iris could hear McGonagall, "Now pair up, we have to get this done. Sometime today please, Mr. Finnegan." She was no longer paying attention to them.

Iris chuckled at this and looked up at George. He was looking into her eyes and smiling. They both laughed at the awkwardness of it all.

When it was actually time to practice, Iris paired with Neville, to spare her from the comfortable awkwardness she felt while dancing with George.

Iris kept thinking to herself as she danced with Neville, that she shouldn't feel this way. George was like her brother and he couldn't possibly feel the same way as she did.

After the announcement of the Yule Ball, Iris couldn't help but think about what she would wear.


	41. Chapter 41

It was the last day of term and it seemed that none of the teachers were going to give them a break. McGonagall, Moody and Snape had all continued with their lesson plans till the last bell of the term rang.

It was break and everyone was doing homework in the Great Hall. There were scatters of Gryffindors along the long table.

Iris was sitting next to Seamus, who was sitting next to Hermione, Ron and Harry. On the other side of the table diagonally from them were Fred and George, apparently working on something that they didn't want anyone else to see.

Snape was prowling the aisles between the tables, frequenting the one between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw.

Iris was finishing her observations of the Blast-Ended Skrewts while Ron was whispering so he wouldn't be heard by Snape, "This is mad, at this rate we'll be the only ones in our year without dates." As soon as the words left his mouth, Snape pushed his head back in the direction of his school work. "Well, us and Neville." He chuckled as soon as Snape was out of earshot.

"Yeah, but then again, he can take himself." The both laughed at Harry's comment.

"It might interest you to know that Neville's already got someone." Everyone looked down the table at Iris, who was trying not to look up at them. Hermione shook her head to tell them that it wasn't her.

"What? Now I'm really depressed." Ron said disappointed.

Iris looked up to see Fred send a note flying across the table towards Ron, who read it in a dull whisper, "Get a move on or all the good ones will have gone." Ron became flustered at this and threw the note back, "Well, who are you going with then?"

Iris was wondering the same thing when Fred a wadded up piece of paper that hit Angelina in the head. She turned to him with an annoyed expression on her face and mouthed, "What?"

Fred whispered, "Angelina, do you," he pointed to her, "want to go to the ball," Fred mimed a dancing person, "with me?" he asked pointing to himself.

Her expression changed instantly, "To the ball? Yeah all right," her smile was bigger than Iris had every seen it.

Fred turned back to Ron, giving him a cocky wink and continued his work. The look on Ron's face was priceless as he turned to look over his shoulder for any sign of Snape, "Oi, Hermione, you're a girl." He stated obviously.

"Well spotted," she retorted haughtily.

"Come with one of us-." His sentence was cut off because Snape hit him in the back of the head with a notebook and everyone in on the conversation ducked down to avoid being hit too. Harry was laughing so hard that Snape had gone and hit him too.

"Come on, its one thing for a bloke to show up alone, for a girl it's just sad." Ron continued after Snape was far enough away again.

"I won't be going alone, because believe it or not, some ones asked me," Hermione hastily got up from the table and handed her notebook into Professor Snape, stopping back at the table to say one last thing, "And I said yes." She left in a hurry to be rid of the conversation.

Ron turned back to Harry, "Bloody hell. She's lying, right?"

Harry gave Ron a sympathetic look, "If you say so."

Iris looked over her shoulder to see Snape eyeing the back of Ron and Harry's head menacingly. "Look, we've just gotta grit our teeth and do it. Tonight, when we get back to the common room, we'll both have partners. Agreed?"

"Agreed," whispered Harry.

Iris, Fred and George were watching Snape approaching them slowly, ready to hit them again. He pulled up his sleeves and pushed their heads down into their books.

They had all looked away and were red with oppressed laughter. Iris couldn't tell who was redder, Fred or George.


	42. Chapter 42

There was only a week until Christmas Eve and the Yule Ball. Iris was standing in the courtyard engaged in conversation with Rikard, a Durmstrang boy. They were laughing and innocently flirting when Iris saw Fred, George and Lee Jordan out the corner of her eye. They had stopped for only a moment to look at her then continued on their way.

"So, this Yule Ball thing that's coming up, I was wondering…" he said loudly; Iris had an expectant smile on her face, prepared to say yes.

"I was wondering if…" He never got to finish his sentence because George sidled up beside Iris taking hold of her wrist.

"Excuse us," he told Rikard and left him standing there, dumbstruck, leading Iris away.

His hand was around her thin wrist, pulling her into the entrance hall. Iris was trying to break free from his grasp but he only held on tighter.

Her struggle was in vain, "George, let go of me!" her yells echoed through the hall as he kept puller her farther away from where she once stood.

Iris tried to plant her feet but was sliding and tripping on the stone floor, "George, stop!" He finally stopped in the middle of the entrance hall and turned around to face her.

She started to hit him in the chest, "What do you think you're doing? Why did you do that?" George grabbed her arms to stop her from attacking him.

"Let go of….!" Iris was taken by surprise as George kissed her gently still holding her arms. When he relented she was speechless.

"Iris, will you go to the Ball with me?" Iris didn't know what to say, her mouth was still gaped open at what just happened.

Finding her voice, "I would love too." She smiled up at him.

After she accepted his invitation, Fred and Lee Jordan appeared, clapping. "About time, mate," said Fred casually.

George retorted, "Shut up, Fred."


	43. Chapter 43

It was the night of the Yule Ball and it was finally Christmas Eve. Iris could feel the butterflies in her stomach flutter.

She looked in the mirror at herself. Iris was wearing a floor length, strapless, white dress that floated away at the bottom. It had a red satin sash that sat at her hips; the bust had red sequins that fell below the sash as well.

Iris had done her hair half up and the other half fell in tendrils of red curls. She had placed some elegant flower pins into her hair to add to the effect.

Iris took in a deep breath and she left the room. She was at the top of the stairs in front of the Great Hall, when she saw both Fred and George waiting at the bottom with Angelina.

Angelina spotted Iris standing at the top of the marble staircase, "She looks beautiful!" She was drawing everyone's attention to Iris. Fred turned around and wolf-whistled causing her to blush.

George had turned around at the whistle emitted from his brother. The look on his face was that of pure surprise and astonishment. He gaped at her and couldn't say anything as Iris made her way down the stairs.

Fred held out a hand for Iris to take and spun her, making the bottom of her dress twirl around her. "Sexy!" he joked.

George had finally gotten to his senses, "You look beautiful," he smiled down at her. Iris smiled incredibly wide.

Fred let her hand go and George held his arm out for Iris to take; she took it willingly and they made their way into the Great Hall followed by Fred and Angelina.

It seemed that where ever George and Iris went, everyone was staring at them; even the teachers.

They both stood at the edge of the dance floor watching as the four champions had entered with their partners. Iris could see over other people's heads in her heels and saw that Cedric had brought Cho Chang, Fleur had taken Roger Davies, Viktor Krum was escorted by Hermione and Harry was with Parvati Patil.

All of the champions had settled into their spots on the dance floor waiting for Professor Flitwick to start the orchestra. The four champions prepared themselves, taking each others hands.

The music started and they all were dancing along. In moments, Dumbledore who was joined by McGonagall had joined in the dance, followed by Karkaroff and a Hogwarts teacher that Iris didn't know.

George grasped Iris's hand and pulled her forward, bringing her out onto the dance floor. He took the lead and they were dancing alongside everyone else.

They had gone around the room two times before George lifted Iris into the air and placed her back onto her feet. A happy smile played on her lips.

He spun her around and she saw something that she wasn't expecting to see. Iris saw Snape watching her and George with a hint of a smile on his sallow face.

As they danced away from where Snape stood vigilant, the song changed into something with a faster beat.

The next slow song was one that Iris had welcomed happily as the lights in the Great Hall dimmed; leaving them in semi-darkness. George wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close. Iris put her arms around his neck and leaned into him, resting her head against his broad chest. Her arms gradually slid down to his chest; she loved that she could hear his steady heart beat.

George laid his chin on Iris's head, "I'm glad I plucked up the courage to ask you."

"Me too," whispered Iris as she smiled. They both chuckled and looked at each other. She felt that she could stay there all night, just being in his protective arms.

Iris and George had danced until the Great Hall started to clear out. They both exited the hall, hand and hand, finding Fred and Angelina sitting on the marble stairs.

They walked over to sit with them, "Hey, having fun yet?" asked Fred looking over at the pair of them.

"Nah, were having a terrible time at it, aren't we Iris?" George squeezed her hand gently. They all laughed and then fell into a conversation about who was seen with who and the band.

When the conversation had started to die, Iris checked the time. It read twelve thirty in the morning. She had completely lost track of the time.

"I think I'm going to head up to bed, alright?" Iris told them all.

As she turned to leave, "I'll walk you up, Iris," came George, "I'll be back in a minute" he called down to Fred and Angelina.

Iris stretched out her hand for him to take and they both walked up to the GryffindorTower and into the common room.

"I had a wonderful time with you, George," Iris looked into his eyes.

"Well, I'm glad you did," he smiled shyly back at her.

"I think I'm going to change out of this and comeback down and sit in front of the fire for a bit." Iris told him, hoping that he would stay instead of going back downstairs.

"Alright, I'm going to go back downstairs for a little." He said softly. George watched Iris leave to go upstairs to change.

Once upstairs in the solitude of her dormitory, Iris realized how much her feet hurt from her shoes and slipped those off first. After her shoes, her dress followed; she placed them back into her trunk so it would be out of the way and grabbed her sweatpants and tank top out, to put on.

She slowly crept her way back down to the common room but didn't find George there. Disappointed, Iris made her way over the oversized couch and lied down, making herself comfortable.


	44. Chapter 44

Iris was blankly staring into the blaze of the fire when someone came through the portrait hole. She closed her eyes waiting for the person to go upstairs but they didn't.

When Iris looked up to see who it was she found George watching her, he was carrying his suit jacket over his shoulder and his tie was undone, "Hello down there," he chuckled.

Iris beamed at him as she sat up and he joined her on the couch; he laid down and Iris nestled into him as she watched the fire crackle. Her head was settled on his arm that held her to him. She wrapped her arms around his muscular forearm.

Iris felt the most comfortable that she had ever felt with George. She listened to his deep, sleepy breaths as it started to lull her to sleep. Iris was sure that George was already asleep but said it anyway, "Good night, George."

She thought that she heard him say, "Good night, Iris." She would never be sure because she finally gave in to sleep.

They both slept on the couch in the common room all night and didn't wake up until Fred came down from the boy's dormitory.

He hit Georges shoe with his hand, waking up George before Iris. "Go away Fred," he said groggily as he tried to go back to sleep.

"Well then, Happy Christmas to you too," Fred said sarcastically as he walked away from them.

Iris completely forgot that today was Christmas but didn't want to get up and greet the day yet. Iris was awake no matter how hard she tried to go back to sleep and it seemed the same for George.

He turned to look at her, "Good morning, you." Iris turned to face him and they were nose to nose. George kissed the tip of her nose softly, "Happy Christmas."

"Happy Christmas, George," this time Iris kissed him on the lips. He leaned in and deepened it.

As they broke apart, Iris let out a heavy sigh of reluctance as she sat up on the couch; George propped himself up on his elbow and looked at the extinguished fire.

They looked back at each other and smiled, "How about another kiss for an extra Happy Christmas?" asked George.

Iris rolled her eyes and pushed him back onto the couch, giggling, and got up to go change for the day.

George was already dressed when Iris got back downstairs. They left the common room and the couch they'd spent the night on together behind them as they headed for breakfast.


	45. Chapter 45

The Christmas holiday was over before Iris knew it and classes resumed and the new term started. The ground was still blanketed with thick, white snow.

Care of Magical Creatures was the only class that seemed different. Hagrid was missing and another teacher had taken his place.

"Hurry up, now, the bell rang five minutes ago," barked an old grey haired witch.

"Who're you?" Ron demanded, "Where's Hagrid?"

"I am Professor, Grubbly-Plank. I am your temporary Care of Magical Creatures teacher." She said briskly.

"Where's Hagrid?" Harry asked.

"He is indisposed. This way, please." She led the class past the paddock that held the Beauxbaton's horses, over to a magnificent white unicorn that was tethered to a nearby tree.

"Oh, it's so beautiful! How did she get it? They're supposed to be really hard to catch!" Lavender Brown cooed.

The unicorn pawed at the ground frantically. "Boys keep back! They prefer a woman's touch, unicorns. Girls to the front, and approach with care, come on, easy does it…"

Iris walked slowly forward with the group of girls and Professor Grubbly-Plank. She had to agree that this lesson was one of her favorite.

The first Hogsmeade weekend of the new term was approaching. Iris met up with Fred, George, Dean, Seamus and Neville on the way down.

They all went into the Three Broomsticks to warm themselves against the frigid winter air. They took a corner booth; the pub was just as full as the last time she was here. Fred and George had gone to get the table some butterbeers when Iris saw a stray _Daily Prophet_.

Iris flipped through it looking to see if there was anything interesting. Fred handed her a warm butterbeer, "Thank you," she slid over to make room for George.

Taking a sip from her drink she continued looking through the articles. Iris almost choked when she saw an article with the headline, '_Dumbledore's Giant Mistake.'_

She was coughing as her drink went down the wrong way. George was rubbing her back trying to get her to stop. "Are you okay?"

Iris nodded her head, still coughing. She pointed at the article, indicating for them to read it.

"What is this rubbish?" scowled Dean as he passed the copy of the _Daily Prophet_ around the table.

"That Rita Skeeter is a right foul piece of work, she is," growled Seamus.

"How can she write that about Hagrid like that?" said Fred disgusted by the article.

They discussed the actual possibility of it being true. They all headed back to the castle when it became too crowded to even move out of the booth.

On the way back they all decided to have a snowball fight or it was Fred who decided it. He had thrown a pact snowball at George who was walking beside Iris.

It took Iris by surprise and she jumped at the sound of the impact. George turned around and picked up a snowball to return fire but he got hit again in the chest; this time by Dean.

Iris was laughing at the look on all of their faces. Iris joined in the fun as well. The snowball she formed in her hand was soaking through her glove. She threw her arm back and then launched it towards Seamus, Dean, Neville and Fred's general direction. It hit Fred in the arm and he retaliated.

The fight seemed to go on forever and Iris was cold and soaked from the falling and flying snow. Her teeth chattered violently.

George was the same way. They hugged each other for warmth. Iris looked up and saw his breath visible in the air.

"Let's go back to the common room because I'm fairly sure it is warmer than standing here freezing." Iris said through clenched teeth.

"Good idea," George agreed, taking her hand and walked up to the castle.

Once in the common room Iris went to go and change into a dry set of clothes. When she came down she took her place on the couch to be warmed by the fire.

George joined her shortly and they cuddled up together in one of the blankets that she had brought down with her. Her head was comfortably nestled on his shoulder.

"What do you think the next task will be like?" asked George casually.

"Do you want my honest opinion?" she asked back.

"No actually, I was hoping that you would tell me the exact opposite." He said in a mocking tone.

"Well, I don't actually know. It could be just about anything couldn't it?" Iris confessed.

"I guess you're right, but I bet it will be something to do with being outside." George added.

Iris looked at him with mirth in her voice, "Oh? And how do you figure that one, hmm?"

He looked at her, "Well, if it was inside somewhere we would probably be aware of it. They couldn't very well fit a dragon in the school, now, could they?"

"Well, what if it was a small dragon?" Iris replied sarcastically.

George just laughed at her and turned back to look at the fire. They sat in silence until Fred, Dean, Seamus and Neville came back through the portrait hole.

They all looked towards the couch at Iris and George sitting together. "Blimey, it's getting bad out there. You were the smart ones to come back early." Seamus said to them.


	46. Chapter 46

Within the next few weeks, the second task was approaching fast. Iris and George were forever growing closer as time progressed forward.

The day before the task, Iris headed to the library to get some work done on her potions essay.

Iris could hear Harry, Ron, Hermione talking about what seemed to be tomorrow's task. Harry apparently hadn't figured out the clue from the egg yet.

"There's a way of doing it! There just has to be!" Hermione sounded irritated.

"I know what I should have done. I should have become an animagus like Sirius," Harry didn't sound too enthusiastic.

"Yeah, you could've turned into a goldfish anytime you want," Ron added jokingly.

"Or a frog," yawned Harry. Iris got up to find a different book with information on the Draught of Peace but was still listening to their conversation.

"It takes a year to become an animagus, and then you have to register yourself and everything. Professor McGonagall told us, remember…you've-." Iris couldn't hear the rest of what she said because someone had covered her eyes.

"Guess who?" they whispered into her ear. Iris automatically put her hands up to her eyes, trying to pry their hands away but couldn't.

"Just guess," they said again, she could hear them smile.

"Do I have to, George?" she said mockingly.

He removed his hands from her eyes and hugged her from behind. Letting her go back to her search, he and Fred made their way over to Harry, Ron and Hermione.

"Oh this is no use, who on earth want to make their nose hair grow in ringlets?" Hermione said ridiculously.

Iris could hear Fred, "I wouldn't mind. It'd be a talking point, wouldn't it?"

"What're you two doing here?" asked Ron.

"Looking for you; McGonagall wants you, Ron, and you, Hermione." George answered. Iris found the book she was looking for and sat back down to continue her essay.

"Why?" the surprise was clear in Hermione's voice.

"Dunno, she was looking a bit grim, though," said Fred.

"We're supposed to take you down to her office," George finally said.

Iris could hear the anxiety in Hermione's voice, "We'll meet you back in the common room. Bring as many of these books as you can, okay?"

"Right," Harry said uneasily.

The day of the task dawned and everyone in the castle made their way down to the BlackLake.

Iris couldn't find Fred or George, so she went down with Neville. They had to row out to the stands by boat. Iris didn't even know that the lake was that large until she was on it.

Iris went to the top of the stands to get a good view of the black water rippling beneath the metal legs of the stands that were protruding through the water.

"Well, all our champions are ready for the second task, which will start at the whistle." Ludo Bagman had magnified his voice.

Fred and George came up the ladder that led to the top of the stands. They stood beside Iris as they waited for the whistle.

"They have exactly one hour to recover what has been taken from them. On the count of three, then; one…two…three!"

The whistle sounded and Iris watched as Fleur, Cedric, Krum and Harry jump off of the platform into the icy water. Everyone in the stands cheered until there was no sign of anyone of them left.

It had been nearly half an hour and Iris was shivering along with everyone else. Iris hadn't figured that it would be this much colder on the water.

Fred and George had their hands in their pockets and their faces hidden in their jackets that were buttoned all the way to the top. Their hats were pushed down so low that Iris could barely see their eyes. She laughed as she heard their muffled conversation.

"I'm colder than you," Fred said.

"Doubtful, Fred, I am a lot colder than you," came George's stifled voice, "Besides, my toes are frozen!"

"You have a girl of your own, why don't you go warm up with her?" exclaimed Fred, "And if you won't, I will." Fred made to walk over towards Iris.

"I don't think so, mate." George pushed him back away from her. He shuffled over behind Iris and took his freezing hands out of his pockets. He then wrapped his arms around her and put his cold stiff hands into Iris's pockets. She laced her fingers between his trying to warm them. George nestled his face into her neck to warm himself in her Gryffindor scarf.

Iris looked over the edge of the railing to see a silver blond head surface on the black lake; it was Fleur.

She had surfaced and was hastily pulled up but Iris noticed that she hadn't retrieved what she was looking for. The murmurs of the surrounding people grew louder as they became suspicious of what happened.

Ten or so minutes after Fleur appeared; Cedric and Cho Chang appeared bobbing in the water. They all cheered for their appearance.

Soon after Cedric and Cho; Viktor and Hermione popped out of the water. Harry was the only one that was missing.

Suddenly, Ron and another silvery haired girl came to the surface of the black lake. Everyone held their breath as they searched for Harry in the water.

He came up for air sputtering and everyone roared with applause and cheers. Piles of blankets were poured onto him as he was laid on the lowest level of the stands.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, we have come to a decision, Merchieftainess Murcus has told us exactly what happened at the bottom of the lake, and we have therefore decided to award marks out of fifty for each of the champions, as follows…" Bagman's voice echoed throughout the stands.

"Fleur Delacour, though she demonstrated excellent use of the Bubble-Head Charm, was attacked by grindylows as she approached her goal, and failed to retrieve her hostage. We award her twenty-five points."

"Cedric Diggory, who also used the Bubble-Head Charm, was the first to return with his hostage, though he returned a minute out of the time limit of an hour." Hufflepuff applauded enormously. "We therefore award him forty-seven points."

Everyone cheered at this, "Viktor Krum used an incomplete form of Transformation, which was nevertheless effective, and was second with his hostage. We award him forty points."

"Harry Potter used Gillyweed to great effect. He returned last and well outside the time limit of an hour. However, the Merchieftainess informs us that Mr. Potter was first to reach the hostages, and that the delay in his return was due to his determination to return all hostages to safety, not merely his own. Most of the judges, feel that this shows moral fiber and merits full marks. However…Mr. Potter's score is forty-five." Iris and George were cheering even though it was muffled by their coats and scarves.

"The third and final task will take place at dusk on the twenty-fourth of June. The champions will be notified of what is coming precisely one month beforehand. Thank you all for your support of the champions." Bagman finished.

There was faded clapping as Iris and George headed back to the warmth of the castle.


	47. Chapter 47

July twenty-fourth came fast and unexpectedly. Iris was studying for her exams with Neville when it had reached dusk and all of the students were to report out to the stands in five minutes time.

Fred and George caught up with Iris in the Great Hall and George took her hand in his. They took their seats next to Mrs. Weasley and Bill, the oldest Weasley child, at the Gryffindor table.

"George, would you mind introducing your friend?" asked Mrs. Weasley eyeing Iris and George holding hands.

Iris looked at Mrs. Weasley who was waiting, "Mum, this is Iris. Iris, this is my mum."

Iris smiled at her and they shook hands. "And I expect that you are making my Georgie very happy, hmm?" Mrs. Weasley asked inquiringly.

George and Iris looked at each other and smiled, "Yes, I believe I am."

"Well, that's wonderful dear," Mrs. Weasley added with a big smile on her motherly face and patted Iris's knee.

Together they all made their way down to the Quidditch pitch where there hadn't been a single game all year.

Iris was amazed to see a never ending maze, stretching out of the field. They took their seats in the stands set up on the field for them. The air was warm and soothing as it blew Iris's hair off her face.

The band had started playing as the four champions walked out onto the field. Dumbledore stood at a podium in front of the maze entrance. She watched as Cedric's father, who was hugging him, walked off the field and into the by-standing crowd.

"Earlier today, Professor Moody placed the Tri-Wizard Cup deep within the maze. Only he knows its exact position. Now, Mr. Diggory…" There was an outbreak of cheering from the Hufflepuffs, "And Mr. Potter…," another outburst of applause but this time from Gryffindor, "Tied for first position, they will be the first to enter the maze, followed by Mr. Krum and Miss Delacour. The first person to touch the cup will be the winner! I've instructed the staff to patrol the perimeter, should, at any point, a contestant wish to withdraw from the task, he or she need only to send up red sparks with their wands. Contestants gather around. Quickly!" barked Dumbledore.

Dumbledore and the four champions had gathered in a huddle and they were being told something that the rest of the people in the stands weren't privy to know.

Once he had finished, Dumbledore turned back to the audience, "Champions prepare yourself! At the sound of the cannon…BANG!" the music that the band was playing started up again.

Harry and Cedric both slowly advanced forward into the maze. The crowd jeered with anticipation as they saw the entrance to the maze seal itself. Next was Krum and Fleur; Iris watched them as they too disappeared into the abyss of the maze.

The crowd fell completely silent as they waited patiently for one of the four champions to come out of the maze successfully.

Iris and George leaned against each other as they waited. No one seemed to talk the entire time.

What seemed like hours later, there was a bright flash of blue as Harry appeared with the Tri-Wizard Cup. Iris stood up and was cheering along with everybody else. George was pulling her down onto the field with him to go and congratulate Harry when she saw Fleur run forward, screaming, pointing towards something that was lying on the ground where Harry was.

The applause ceased immediately as Dumbledore struggled to get Harry away from the spot. The horror that struck everyone in the crowd was instantaneous.


	48. Chapter 48

Iris could feel a pang of painful grief strike her as she saw Cedric's lifeless body lying on the ground; Fred and George stopped short at the sight.

The Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge came running forward, "For God's sake, Dumbledore, what's happened?"

Iris could hear Harry's terrified words, "He's back! He's back! Voldemort's back! Cedric, he asked me to bring his body back. I couldn't leave him, not there!"

She heard Dumbledore's calming words, "It's all right, Harry. It's all right. He's home. You both are."

Fudge ran past Iris towards Snape and McGonagall, "Keep everybody in their seats. A boy's just been killed." The audience took in a breath of pure horror. "The body must be moved, Dumbledore. There are too many people."

Tears swam in Iris's eyes but they did not fall she gripped George's hand tighter. Cedric's father came through the mob of people, "Let me through. Let me through! Let me through." At the sight of his son he was yelling in anguish, "That's my son! That's my boy! It's my boy! No!" his lamenting sobs made the tears in Iris's eyes fall fast and heavy.

Everyone gathered around Cedric's body and wept for the lost of Mr. Diggory's son. George turned to hold Iris tightly to him and she could tell that he was fighting back painful tears of his own.

As Mr. Diggory cried out in bereavement, Iris held to George tighter and tighter. She didn't want to look at the pain and hurt that was on everyone's face so she buried her face into George's sweater, muffling her sobs of sorrow.

Dumbledore had parted the crowd of people and told them all to go back to the castle. The grief that filled the air was hot and thick as they all sat together in the Great Hall. Everyone sat in the hall for almost an hour when Professor Dumbledore came down to dismiss them to bed.


	49. Chapter 49

The next morning, everyone was dressed in their very best for the service in memory of Cedric. Fred and George where looking dapper in their black suits while Iris looked mournful in her black dress.

They headed for the Great Hall together, along with everybody else; Iris could see almost all of the seats were filled and Dumbledore was perched at the front of the room.

"Today we acknowledge a really terrible loss. Cedric Diggory was, as you all know, exceptionally hard working, infinitely fair-minded, and most importantly, a fierce, fierce friend. Therefore, I feel you have the right to know exactly how he died. You see, Cedric Diggory was murdered, by Lord Voldemort. The Ministry of Magic does not wish me to tell you this. But not to do so I feel would be an insult to his memory. Now the pain we all feel at this dreadful loss reminds me, and, reminds us, that though we may come from different countries and speak in different tongues, our hearts beat as one." Iris wiped her eyes as the words hit her.

"In light of the recent events, the bonds of friendship made this year will be more important than ever. Remember that, and Cedric Diggory will not have died in vain. You remember that, and we'll celebrate a boy who was kind, and honest, and brave, and true; right to the very end." Dumbledore ended calmly.

Everyone in the Great Hall was in low spirits; even Fred and George were not cracking jokes.

At the end of the service, George and Iris went for a walk around the edge of the lake. They didn't talk during their time together; they both seemed to need to get away from it all and get some fresh air.

Iris turned to George and gave him a much needed hug but it was interrupted by Professor Snape. "Miss Blackthorne, Professor Dumbledore needs to see you in his office, now." He briskly turned away and strode back up to the castle.

They both looked at each other as they meandered slowly back up to the castle as well. Iris left George with Fred and she made her way to Dumbledore's office.


	50. Chapter 50

"Cockroach Clusters," Iris said solemnly as the gargoyle stepped aside and allowed her past. She followed the spiral stair case to the top; her heels making a noise that echoed off the heavy walls.

She knocked on the door, once she was at the top, "Come in," Dumbledore's mellow voice sounded from the other side.

"Ah, Miss Blackthorne, thank you for coming." His eyes looked tired behind his glasses. "I hope you enjoyed the service. I have no doubt in my mind that it gave some people closure but above all else, answers."

"I don't mean to be rude, Professor, but what is this about?" Iris asked.

"Ah, yes," Dumbledore looked down at her with worried eyes. "I believe that you are aware that Lord Voldemort is back, are you not?"

Iris furrowed her brow, "Yes, sir, I'm aware."

"He has killed many people in the days before his fall from power, as I'm sure you know." He paused only for a moment before continuing, "Before, Lord Voldemort, became what he was he visited his uncle, Morfin Gaunt."

"Now, Morfin was said to have met a young woman in a pub in Little Hangleton, where he, his father, Marvolo, and sister, Merope, lived." Iris looked terrible confused.

"Forgive me for getting ahead of myself Iris; it's been a long year indeed. His sister, Merope, fell in love with a muggle, by the name of, Tom Riddle. She used a Love Potion on him and they married. She stopped giving Riddle the potion in hopes that he would have fallen in love her without it but her attempt was in vain and he left her while she was pregnant with his child."

"She went to an orphanage and she gave birth to a boy name Tom Marvolo Riddle, but unfortunately died an hour later, leaving her son to be raise in the very orphanage he was born in."

Iris couldn't help feel sorry for the boy and how unfortunate he had been. "Alas, whilst at Hogwarts, Tom had changed his name into, Lord Voldemort." The pain that Iris had felt for him only seconds before vanished instantly.

"Now, Tom felt no love for anyone or thing for he believed that he could never love for the fact that he was conceived under a Love Potion. He also felt that because his mother would not or could not, rather, save herself from death that she was weak."

"Also, Tom had become immensely fascinated by his family heritage and found that he was a descendant of Salazar Slytherin himself."

"He believed that Muggle-borns' should be exterminated for they had no right to learn magic. After his leave of Hogwarts, he continued to delve deeper and deeper into the dark arts."

"This is how, I, believe he came to be," Dumbledore confessed. "Now, back to where I was before. Morfin, who had a known history of violence towards Muggles, was sent to Azkaban for three years along with his father for performing magic in front of and on Muggles. When he had been released he met a woman in a pub and they conceived a child named, Rose, without Morfin's knowledge."

The name sounded simple and elegant in Iris's mouth, "Rose married John Blackthorne, mixing the Gaunt and Blackthorne blood line. Now, Rose gave birth to Brutus, who in turn, married Arabella."

Iris looked up at Dumbledore, her mouth gaped open, "But Professor that means…" Dumbledore held up a hand to silence her.

"After each child that was conceived, their parents were soon murdered after their first birthday, meaning Rose and John were killed after Brutus turned one. The same happened to your parents, Iris, Arabella and Brutus had you and were soon murdered in their home."

Iris was speechless and didn't know what to say, "The murders were all the same, in the same fashion. They all seemed to show no visible traces of what could have caused it when the police investigated. To Muggles, the murders seemed to be a, freak accident, if you will but everyone in the Wizarding world had been aware of whom it was."

Iris knew the answer but asked anyway, "Who Professor? Who killed my parents?"

"I believe it to be Lord Voldemort. You are the last living tie to the Gaunt bloodline and Voldemort will stop at nothing to see that it is finished off, once and for all." He told her.

"I have a foreboding feeling that he will try to kill you now that he has once more started his rise to power. Whether he knows of your existence is anyone's guess." Dumbledore told her gravely.

"Professor? What will I do if he does try to kill me?" Iris's voice was shaking.

Dumbledore released a great sigh, "Severus and I are watching over you to make sure that that won't happen. It was originally I, who was going to try and protect you but Severus demanded that he assist me."

The words, 'Severus and I' struck Iris odd, "What do you mean by that, 'he demanded to help', Professor?"

"I meant what I said. Now, I think it is time that you return to Mr. Weasley, as I am sure he is wondering what is keeping you."

Iris sat glued to the chair for a moment, taking in everything that she was just told. She stood up uneasily and made her way to the door. She looked back at Dumbledore who looked deep in thought. Iris made her way down the steps only to collapse into a sobbing mess as she reached the bottom.

Voldemort killed her entire family and was trying to get to her next. Iris cried for the family she never knew and the possibility of an early death. She sat against the cool wall of the corridor until there were no more tears to cry.

Iris stood up and made her way to the marble staircase in front of the Great Hall, where she saw Fred, George, Mrs. Weasley, Bill and Ginny sitting looking dismal.

Mrs. Weasley had seen her first and watched as Iris sluggishly made her way towards them. At the sight of the family, Iris could feel a fresh rush of tears filling her tired eyes.

The rest of the Weasleys' followed her gaze and George got up and met Iris half way, taking her into a warm embrace, kissing her head. She openly sobbed into his chest, not bothering to try and hide it from anyone. She gripped George even tighter, so as never to let go.

Mrs. Weasley had walked over to them, saying, "Sh, Sh, Sh, Sh… there, there, it's alright dear, Sh, Sh, Sh." She was petting Iris's hair to comfort her.

After moments of heavy racking sobs, Iris was breathing lighter and she wasn't holding onto George as tightly.

She detached her scarlet face from George's now tear stained shirt. Iris wiped her eyes and looked up at him attempting a smile for him, "Im sorry about your shirt,"

"It's no big deal, it's not my favorite anyway," he chuckled.


	51. Chapter 51

It was the last day of term and exams had been cancelled due to the recent turn of events. Iris walked outside to see the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students off. The giant winged horses that had pulled the carriage had once more been tethered to it. The reins snapped and the massive horses lifted into the air. Iris watched as the blue carriage shrank into the distant fading sunlight.

The Durmstrang ship was finally loaded with its students and was sailing away from the shore. The mast and sails seemed to billow in the water as the ship sank underneath it.

It would only be a few minutes before the carriages arrive. Iris stood with her trunk and was ready to leave Hogwarts for the summer.

She boarded the Hogwarts Express with her luggage in tow. She chose a solitary car with George.

"George, I'm scared," Iris whispered as she looked out the window at the passing scenery.

"What do you mean?" he asked worriedly.

"He's going to try and kill me. Voldemort is going try and kill me like he did my parents." She breathed.

"Iris? What are you talking about? He's not going to kill you." He furrowed his brow at her.

"I am the last of the living Gaunt family bloodline. I am tied to him," She said looking into his eyes.

"Are you sure?" he inquired further.

"Dumbledore told me himself. He told me that he and Snape are watching over me; to protect me." Iris whispered.

George had a deep worried expression etched on his face, "Don't worry. Nothing is going to happen to you. I won't let it."

The comfort that his warm words gave her was immense and Iris felt she could relax.

The Hogwarts express docked at King's Cross and they said their reluctant good byes. "I promise, I will write you this summer if you promise to write me a letter every once in a while too, okay?"

Iris stood their considering him, smiling, "Hmm, I can't promise anything."

"Well can you promise me a kiss good-bye then?" he smirked at her.

"I think that I can spare one," she said amused. George leaned down for the kiss but instead Iris pecked him on the cheek. He withdrew at once with a coy smile on his lips touching the place where she had kissed his cheek, "Hey, you, that's not fair is it?"

Iris smiled blankly at him, "Well, you never said where you wanted, said kiss, now did you?"

"Clever girl," Iris turned around to see Mr. Weasley approaching the two of them, winking at George. "Hello, I'm Arthur, this handsome young man's dad." He held out a hand for Iris to take.

"Hello, I'm Iris, Iris Blackthorne," she smiled at him and shook his hand.

He stood there considering them for a moment, "Well, George, it's time to go home. It was nice meeting you, Iris." Mr. Weasley said as he walked back towards the direction her came from.

As they both watched him go, Iris kissed George on the lips, "There; there's your good-bye kiss, now go before your dad comes back."

He started to follow his dad and Iris watched him go. Iris found Ms. Fagan waiting for her in her usual spot down the platform a'ways. It would be three months before Iris would be able to see him again and she was already anticipating his letters.


	52. Fifth Year

**Hello one and all. A new year is upon us. Year Five. The number of chapters just keeps getting forever longer. I do own Flute and he is definitely one of my favorite characters :) Reviews please! Enjoy!**

Iris was cleaning the glasses and mugs behind the counter of the Leaky Cauldron. She watched as students and teachers frequented through the pub to get to Diagon Alley.

Iris had gotten the job at the beginning of the summer so that she wouldn't have to be counting the seconds till she would be returning to Hogwarts.

George had written her twice since they last saw each other at King's Cross station. One of his letters said that he was supposed to be in Diagon Alley in a week's time and that he would come and see her.

Iris was patiently waiting for her shift to be over. It seemed that since the news of the Dark Lord's return had been revealed, it had slowed business tremendously.

Ever since Harry had said that Voldemort had returned, Iris had been having more and more frequent dreams of her parent's death and the Dark Mark

"Iris?" She turned around to see Tom, the owner of the Leaky Cauldron, "You can go home now. It doesn't look like we're going to have many people in today."

Iris placed the clean cup on the rack and put the dirty rag into a basket, where the cleaning witch would grab them in the morning.

The next day she had the day off and was wandering around Diagon Alley, trying to figure out what to spend her earnings on.

Iris looked through the windows of the numerous stores but couldn't quite find anything that she wanted, until she heard the sound of a tiny hoot that sounded like someone blowing a single note repeatedly into a flute.

Iris gushed over the small owl perched in the cage. The sign above it said that he was a 'Saw-Whet owl'. She looked down at the tiny creature and picked up the cage and brought it into Eeylopes Owl Emporium.

Iris walked out of the store with the tiny hooting owl in tow along with a bag of pellets.

She carried the small owl back to the orphanage and snuck him into her room. Iris grabbed a quill and parchment and wrote a short note to Neville asking about how his summer was while the tiny owl flew around the enclosed room.

Iris decided on the name, Flute, for he hooted in such a way that it reminded her of a peaceful lullaby.

Flute landed on Iris's desk and started to peck at her as she wrote. At first it was a soft nip then it gradually got harder and more painful until he drew blood.

The man she paid for Flute said that he would be temperamental but forever loyal and protective. Iris was hoping that he was right as she sucked the blood on her now bleeding knuckle.

After she had finished her note to Neville she tied it to Flute's leg and opened the window. Iris watched as he flew from the orphanage window until she could no longer see him.


	53. Chapter 53

Iris was back to working behind the bar, serving up drinks to who ever stopped long enough to have one.

She had her back turned when she heard the sound of flapping wings coming through the just opened door.

Flute flew over to Iris with an unresolved hoot and stuck his leg out for her to take the parchment. She willingly took and unfurled the note. But before she could read it a tall figure blocked the light so that she couldn't see the writing.

Iris looked up to see who it was and almost screamed with happiness when she saw that it was George. Iris was amazed that he had grown even taller and cut his hair.

She ran around the counter to greet him but Flute had flown from the counter and was trying to attack George.

He ducked out of the way with his arms over his head, yelling. Iris was jumping, trying to catch Flute but was unsuccessful. Fred came out of nowhere and caught the tiny owl, engulfing him in his hands.

Iris breathed out a sigh of relief as George uncovered his head. "I'm so sorry about Flute, he's new and I didn't know that he would do that…Oh, you're bleeding!"

George had a cut under his eye from the attacking owl. Iris grabbed a wet cloth and dabbed at the blood on his face. "It's no big deal, I'm sure that I've had worse."

Iris could hear Flute screeching at the top of his lungs in Fred's hands. Iris looked back at the now clean gash on George's face and gave it a soft kiss. At the sight of the kiss, Flute, had almost struggled out of Fred's hands biting him to loosen his grip, "Blimey, Iris, I think you have a psycho owl on your hands." Fred exclaimed. They all laughed; he handed Flute back to her.

"Alright, Iris, we've got to go; grab your stuff and let's go, mum is expecting us back soon," George stood up.

"Wait…What do you mean?" Iris asked taken aback.

"I mean that you're coming with us…to Head Quarters," he whispered.

"Oh, okay, let me go get my stuff then," Iris said leaving towards the door.

"No need, we can apparate now," Fred and George took hold of her hands and they disappeared into thin air.

All three of them reappeared in front of the orphanage where Iris lived during the summer. She ran in and up the stairs to her solitary room reaching for her trunk and cage, where she stuffed Flute inside.

There was a distinct POP! Sound that filled the tiny room; Fred and George appeared out of thin air causing Iris to jump and let out a scream.

"Sorry, just seeing if you were ready," Fred said.

"I'm ready," Iris smiled at them. They took her trunk and owl along with them when she disappeared.

As they disapparated from her room, Iris found herself standing outside a brick building that seemed to house multiple apartments, Flute was squawking violently at her to let him out. Iris took the cage from her trunk and unhooked the latch that locked it. Flute crawled up her arm and settled on her shoulder, nipping at her ear agitatedly. His large eyes focused on George.

When Iris had been releasing Flute, there seemed to appear and extra door with the number twelve glinting in the setting sunlight. "Well, here we are then; Head Quarters" Fred stated happily.


	54. Chapter 54

They made their way into the house that looked ancient and dusty on the inside. Iris walked through a long corridor before they got to the center of the house, with stairs leading three or so flights up.

Iris could hear the voice of Mr. and Mrs. Weasley coming from one of the rooms beyond the stairs. Fred and George had started bringing Iris's things up the stairs when Mrs. Weasley spotted Iris standing in the hallway. As she approached, Flute, flew up to the second story banister, screeching the whole way.

"Ah, Iris my dear, how are you?" She had cupped Iris's face in her hands and was moving away a stray strand of red hair. Dinner will be ready soon; why don't you go up with Fred and George and get comfortable. You will be sharing a room with Ginny for now."

Iris followed Fred and George up the stairs to the room that she would be sharing. As they past the second floor banister Flute landed on Iris's shoulder, digging his talons into her.

Fred placed her trunk at the foot of the empty bed and George laid Flute's cage on the vacant dresser. She placed Flute gently back into the cage.

Iris sat at the edge of the bed and Fred and George joined her, sitting on either side of her. "Why did you bring me here?" She asked simply.

"Don't worry it's nothing bad," George reassured her but she couldn't help but notice that he said it half-heartedly.


	55. Chapter 55

They headed down to dinner by way of apparition. The dinning room was long and narrow. Iris sat next to George and she watched as many people she had never seen had filed into the room along with the rest of the Weasley family. Iris saw Professor Lupin and a man that she swore was in the papers a year or so ago. She also recognized Professor Moody and his wandering eye.

Moments later, everyone was seated around the table when Snape entered through the fireplace. Iris looked over at George, who was trying to avoid her gaze by watching everyone around the table he seemed to have an ashamed look on his face, but he held her hand, gently squeezing it.

"Who are all these people? What are they doing here?" Iris asked Fred, but before he could answer, the man sitting next to Lupin spoke.

"Hello, Iris." She looked from Fred to the man speaking. He had a grizzly beard and wavy dark hair that concealed a once handsome face. "I am Sirius…"

"Oh, spare her the casual petty introduction, Black!" Snapped Snape agitatedly, "She needs to know why she is here."

"What do you mean, 'Why I'm here'?" Iris more or less demanded. She looked at Sirius and Snape.

Lupin spoke for Sirius, "You are here because we have a reason to believe that the Dark Lord will make you his next target, if he finds that you are the last living relative of the Gaunt bloodline."

Iris could see Mrs. Weasley look at her with slight tears in her eyes. "George and Dumbledore had informed us of this knowledge some time ago. We had to bring you here for your own protection at the news of people disappearing and turning up dead."

At George's name, Iris bore her eyes into him as he didn't look at her. She then looked at Mr. and Mrs. Weasley who had upset worried looks on their faces. Iris took her hand away from George's.

Sirius finally spoke again, "We only did it to protect you," he looked like he was deeply sorry for bringing her there.

Moody addressed the rest of the people around the table, "Now we are going to have to protect Miss Blackthorne and Potter at all times, they both seem to be in the same boat as of now. We will deliberate on further plans of action when the school year resumes."

Iris pushed her chair away from the table and left the room, George followed her out, closing the door separating them from the full Dining Room.

"Iris…," George sheepishly said.

Iris felt anger that she hadn't felt towards him before bursting inside her, "How could you! I thought that you wouldn't say anything to anyone! I trusted you not to!"

George was maintaining a whisper while Iris screamed at him, "I only did it to protect you." He looked terribly hurt at her sharp words.

"Protect me? Now that you decided that you wanted to 'protect me', all of those people in there are going to give their lives to make sure that I am protected! And what's more is that they also have to protect Harry. His life is more important than mine! They should be putting all of their efforts into protecting him, not me!" Iris screamed at him. She looked past him and saw a shadow of someone listening to them at the foot of the door.

"Iris! Don't say that! You are worth protecting! You can't say that," George couldn't control himself anymore; he was yelling even louder than Iris. His voice faltered as he continued to speak.

Iris was thrown when she heard him yelling back at her. She felt almost mad at herself for yelling at him and lowered her voice only a little, "I don't want anyone to die protecting me! You have to understand that," Iris walked towards him. His eyes were glassy and it made her feel even worse about what she had said. "I never wanted this to happen!"

"I don't want you to get killed…" George covered his face in his hands and rubbed his eyes. Iris didn't want to see him hurting as hot tears swam in her own. She cautiously walked up to him and pulled his hands away from his face and wrapped her arms around him as he did the same.

He buried his face into her neck and she could feel his tears on her skin. Her own tears were running down her own face, "I'm sorry."

Iris could hear George whisper in between breaths, "I'm sorry too."

They both stood their as they held each other. A few moments afterwards, the Dining Room door swung open and Mrs. Weasley came forward, "Oh, I hadn't realized that you were still out here," they could both tell that she was lying.

"Now, dears, come and get something to eat. Everyone has left, come on now," she said in an ushering tone.

George detached himself from Iris and wiped at his eyes. Iris took his hand as they both headed back for the Dining Room.


	56. Chapter 56

Iris was woken up the next morning to Flute singing in his cage. Ginny was already up and dressed; George apparated into the room as she sat up in the bed.

"Morning," he looked over at the frantically squawking Flute, "Is that ruddy bird still jealous of me?" he asked jokingly.

"I'm sure you give him good reason to be jealous," smirked Iris. She got out of bed and moved towards her trunk for her clothes.

George saw her choosing the clothes that she was going to wear for the day. Iris looked up at him eyeing her. He raised his eyebrows flirtatiously as Iris made to take off her night shirt, "Ooh La La!"

"Turn around," she smirked at him. He did so reluctantly. She changed as fast as she could in case he decided to turn around early or someone apparated into the room.

She sat back on the bed in front of George with her hands on his legs. She leaned forward and lightly kissed him on the lips before getting up again and heading for the door.

Mrs. Weasley had them all cleaning the entire day, keeping George and Iris separate for the time being, apparently thinking that they needed to be away from each other for a bit.

Iris had welcomed the arrival of Hermione, a few days later, as a good thing, meaning that they would all be going back to school.

Only a week or so after Hermione arrived did Harry arrive. He was in his and Ron's room talking to Hermione.

Iris was on her way downstairs when she saw Fred, George, Ginny, Ron, Hermione and Harry all gathered around an extendable ear. George saw her and beckoned her forward.

She listened in on the apparent conversation in the Dinning Room, "If anyone has a right to know, it's Harry. If it wasn't for Harry we wouldn't even know Voldemort was back. He's not a child, Molly." Iris recognized the voice of Sirius.

Mrs. Weasley's strained voice could be heard, "But he's not an adult either. He's not James, Sirius."

"Well, he's not your son," he retorted.

"He's as good as. Who else has he got?" asked Mrs. Weasley plainly.

"He's got me," stated Sirius.

Iris could hear a cold droll from a familiar voice, "How touchingly paternal, Black. Perhaps Potter will grow up to be a felon, just like his godfather." Iris realized that Snape was here.

"Now, you stay out of this, Snivellus." Sirius snapped back at him.

Iris could hear Harry, "Snape's part of the Order?"

Ron replied with, "The git."

"-about your supposed reformation," Snape started again.

"I know better," Sirius sounded like he doubted himself.

"So why don't you tell him?" Snape asked briskly.

Iris watched from three stories up as Crookshanks, Hermione's cat, leapt for the extendable ear. Everyone was loudly whispering so they weren't heard, "Get off it." "Quick." "Get it up." "Crookshanks," "Stop it."

Iris could distinctly hear Ron say, "Get off, you bloody cat."

The array of whispers continued, "Crookshanks. Leave it alone." "Get it up."

As Crookshanks gave one last tug on the ear, it snapped off and he ran off with it. They all looked up at each other in slight disappointment.

"Hermione, I hate your cat," Ron told her.

"Bad Crookshanks," Hermione whimpered.

They all slowly made their way down the stairs where Mrs. Weasley greeted them, "Well, we'll be eating down in the kitchen."

Iris expected to see Fred and George behind her but they had disapparated. They reappeared behind their mother.

At the popping noise, Mrs. Weasley screamed causing Iris to jump, "Just because you're allowed to use magic now does not mean you have to whip your wands out for everything!" Iris scuttled by Mrs. Weasley and joined everyone down in the kitchen.

When Iris had reached the bottom of the stairs, she noticed a few people from the Order were joining them.

Iris joined Fred and George who were watching Crookshanks licked his chops of the remains of the extendable ear.

Iris's was caught by the voice of Mr. Weasley, "This is very, very peculiar. It seems that your hearing in the Ministry is to be before the entire Wizengamot."

"I don't understand. What has the Ministry of Magic got against me?" asked Harry.

Moody, who was standing in a corner, apparently deep in thought, spoke, "Show him, He'll find out soon enough."

Everyone on at the opposite end of the table all looked towards Harry, who Kingsley Shacklebolt had passed an edition of the latest '_Daily Prophet.'_

"He's been attacking Dumbledore as well. Fudge is using all his power, including his influence at the 'Daily Prophet' to smear anyone who claims the Dark Lord has returned." Sirius explained.

"Why?" Harry asked.

"The Minister thinks that Dumbledore is after his job." Lupin answered.

"That's insane, no one in their right mind could believe that…" interjected Harry.

"That's exactly the point. Fudge isn't in his right mind. It's been twisted and warped by fear. Now, fear makes people do terrible things, Harry. The last time Voldemort gained power he almost destroyed everything that we hold most dear. Now he's returned, and I'm afraid the minister will do almost anything to avoid facing that terrible truth." Lupin clarified.

"We think Voldemort wants to build up his army again. Fourteen years ago, he had huge numbers at his command; and not just witches and wizards but all manners of dark creatures." Everyone was listening intently as he continued, "He's been recruiting heavily, and we've been attempting to do the same." Sirius kept stealing glances at Mrs. Weasley, trying to see how far he could push the line, "But gathering followers isn't the only thing he's interested in."

"Sirius," warned Moody.

"We believe that Voldemort may be after something." He confessed.

"Sirius," warned Moody a second time.

Sirius continued cautiously, "Something he didn't have last time."

"You mean, like a weapon?" questioned Harry eagerly.

The conversation would have kept going but Mrs. Weasley interrupted, "No. That's enough. He's just a boy. You say much more and you might as well induct him into the Order straight away."

Harry jumped at the suggestion, "Good. I want to join. If Voldemort's raising an army, then I want to fight."

The conversation ended with that and they all ate dinner and went up to bed. Iris fed Flute before settling under her sheets.


	57. Chapter 57

The next day, Iris along with everybody else, received their Hogwarts letters. Hermione and Ron had been made prefects and they toasted to their success at that nights dinner.

The day they were all to return to Hogwarts presented itself faster than Iris anticipated. Fred and George had decided to bewitch their trunks to make it easier to get them down stairs but the trunks had ended up running over Ginny, sending her flying down two flights of stairs.

The always noisy hidden portrait of Mrs. Black was yelling, "-FILTHY HALF-BREEDS, BESMIRCHING THE HOUSE OF MY FATHERS-!" Iris helped Harry cover up the portrait to stop her blood curdling screams.

Mrs. Weasley was also yelling, "-COULD HAVE DONE HER A SERIOUS INJURY, YOU IDIOTS-!"

They all made it out of the house with their luggage and pets in tow, leaving it all with Moody who was waiting for another guard. Iris slipped Flute a treat before they left. Fred, George, Ginny, and Iris had all been escorted to Platform 9 ¾ by Lupin, where they met up with Tonks, Mrs. Weasley, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and a bear-like dog that could easily have stood higher than Iris if it were on its hind legs.

Moody was unloading the luggage cart when they arrived on the platform. The whistle of the Hogwarts Express sounded, "Quick, quick…write…be good….if you've forgotten anything we'll send it on…onto the train, hurry," urged Mrs. Weasley.

Iris had hold of her trunk and Flute as she loaded onto the train and into an empty compartment. Fred and George followed her only to place their things in the overhead storage. "Well, can't stand chatting around all day, we've got business to discuss with Lee. See you later." Fred said and they were both headed down the corridor.

Iris had taken Flute out of his cage and let him fly around the tiny compartment. Iris made herself more comfortable by pulling her legs up onto the bench seat. An hour or so into the trip Flute decided that he was tired and perched himself on the seat next to her cooing every once in a while as if he were snoring.

Fred and George only returned when the train was about to enter Hogsmeade station. "I'm sorry Iris, we lost track of the time and…" George caught sight of the now loose Flute and stopped talking, eyeing the tiny owl reproachfully.

Iris didn't mind all that much but Flute did. He started flapping his wings at the both of them warning them. Iris plucked up Flute and put him back in his cage, where he was fidgeting angrily, ruffling his feathers.


	58. Chapter 58

They all made their way up to the castle without Flute having an episode but he started up again when they left him in the corridor with the rest of the schools luggage and they both walked hand and hand into the Great Hall.

Iris sat beside him as always and waited for Dumbledore's usual speech after the feast had ended.

Dumbledore gallantly walked over to the podium, "Good evening children. Now, we have two changes in staff this year. We are pleased to welcome back Professor Grubbly-Plank who'll be taking care of Magical Creatures while Professor Hagrid is on temporary leave. We also wish to welcome our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Dolores Umbridge. I am sure you'll all join me in wishing the professor good luck. Now, as usual, our caretaker, Mr. Filch, has asked me to remind you…"

"_Hem, Hem_." Umbridge had interrupted Dumbledore and Iris could tell that she wasn't going to like her already. She walked to the front of the Staff table and addressed the students. "Thank you, Headmaster for those kind words of welcome; and how lovely to see all your bright happy faces smiling up at me. I'm sure we're all going to be very good friends." She said it in such a way that Iris felt that she was going to be sick.

"That's likely," Fred and George said in unison and Iris couldn't help but laugh, drawing attention to herself. Umbridge glared at her and then continued.

"The Ministry of Magic has always considered the education of young witches and wizards to be of vital importance. Although each Headmaster has brought something new to this historic school, progress for the sake of progress must be discouraged. Let us preserve what must be preserved and perfect what can be perfected and prune practices that ought to be prohibited." Umbridge gave a girlish giggle before returning to her seat.

Dumbledore finally was able to continue, "Thank you, Professor Umbridge. That really was most illuminating. Mr. Filch has asked me to remind you that magic is forbidden in the corridors and that there is a list of banned products on his office door…"

Iris wasn't paying attention because she was conversing with Fred and George, "I think she hates you already. I mean, did you get a load of the look on her face when you laughed." The thing was that Iris couldn't forget the look on her toad like face in the pink cardigan.

Iris was back in the all too familiar common room of Gryffindor tower talking to Fred. The portrait hole opened and Harry came through. Everyone turning around to look at him accusingly; all talking ceased and Iris could hear the faint music emitted from the radio they had been listening to.

"Dean, Seamus. Good Holiday?" Harry asked nervously.

"All right; better than Seamus's, anyway," stated Dean.

Iris saw Seamus stand up and confront Harry, "Me mum didn't want me to come back this year."

"Why not?" Harry asked simply.

"Let me see. Because of you. The _'Daily Prophets'_ been saying a lot of things about you Harry and Dumbledore as well." Seamus's voice came out accusing and sharp.

"What and your mum believes them?" Harry asked defiantly.

"Well, nobody was there the night Cedric died." He retorted.

"I guess you should read the Prophet, then, like your stupid mother. It will tell you everything you need to know." Harry was trying to keep his voice down but seemed to be struggling.

"Don't you dare, talk about my mother like that!" Seamus's face was bright red with fury.

"I'll have a go at anyone that calls me a liar," snapped Harry.

Just then, Ron walked through the portrait hole, "What's going on?"

"He's mad, is what's going on!" Seamus pointed directly at Harry, "Do you believe the rubbish he's come out with about You-Know-Who?"

"Yeah, I do. Has anyone else got a problem with Harry?" Ron asked. When no one said anything, Harry, followed closely by Ron, headed up the stairs to the Boy's Dormitories.

Everyone looked around at each other trying to assess what had just happened. Iris sat with them as they all conversed in whispers. She got up and bid them all good night as it got later.

As Iris headed up to the girl's dormitories to get ready for bed, Flute was on her night stand sleeping in his cage that was much too big for such a small owl. She poked her finger through the cage and Flute opened his eyes a crack and gave her an affectionate nip before closing his eyes and going back to sleep.


	59. Chapter 59

Iris made her way down to breakfast with Neville but not before noticing a large sign posted on the bulletin board. Iris was half amused and half curious as she read the sign:

Gallons of Galleons!

Pocket money failing to keep pace with your outgoings? Like to earn a little extra gold?

Contact Fred and George Weasley,

Gryffindor Common Room,

For simple, part-time, virtually painless jobs

(We regret that all work is undertaken at applicants own risk)

Iris was sitting close to Ron, Hermione and Harry who were talking about Fred and George and their Skiving Snackboxes and their O.W.L.'s.

"Look at today! History of Magic, double Potions, Divinations and double Defense Against the Dark Arts…Binns, Snape, Trelawney, and that Umbridge woman all in one day! I wish Fred and George'd hurry up and get those Skiving Snackboxes sorted…," Ron complained.

"Do mine ears deceive me?" Fred asked, arriving with George and squeezing onto the bench beside Harry. "Hogwarts prefects surely don't want to skive off lessons."

"Look what we've got today. That's the worst Monday I've ever seen." Ron said grumpily.

"Fair point, little bro. You can have a bit of Nosebleed Nougat cheap if you like," added Fred.

"Why's it cheap?" asked Ron suspiciously.

"Because you'll keep bleeding until you shrivel up, we haven't got an antidote yet," George stated, helping himself to some food.

"Cheers, but I think I'll take the lessons," Ron said moodily.

"And speaking of your Skiving Snackboxes, you can't advertise for testers on the Gryffindor notice board." Hermione said harshly.

"Say's who?" George looked surprised at this news.

"Says me, and Ron," she added.

"Leave me out of it," snapped Ron.

"You'll be singing a different tune soon enough, Hermione. You're starting your fifth year, you'll be begging us for a Snack Box before long," Fred told her.

"And why should starting fifth year mean that I want a Skiving Snackbox?" she asked haughtily.

"Fifth year's O.W.L. year," George stated.

"So?" she asked defiantly.

"So you've got your exams coming up, haven't you? They'll be keeping your nose so hard to that grindstone they'll be rubbed raw," Fred said with great satisfaction.

"Half our year had minor breakdowns coming up to O.W.L.'s. Tears and tantrums…Patricia Stimpson kept coming over faint…," George stated happily.

"Kenneth Towler came out in boils, d'you remember?" Fred asked George reminiscently.

"That's 'cause you put Bulbadox Powder in his pajamas," George reminded him.

"Oh yeah, I'd forgotten…hard to keep track sometimes isn't it?" Fred said, grinning.

"Anyway, it's a nightmare of a year, the fifth. If you can care about exam results anyway; Fred and I managed to keep our spirits up somehow." George said.

"Yeah…you got, what was it, three O.W.L.'s each?" asked Ron.

"Yep, but we feel our futures lie outside the world of academic achievements," Fred winked at Iris from across the table.

"We seriously debated whether we were going to bother coming back for our seventh year, now that we've got-." George looked at Harry in slight panic, "-now that we've got our O.W.L.'s. I mean, do we really need N.E.W.T.'s? But we didn't think Mum could take us leaving school early, not on top of Percy turning out to be the world's biggest prat," George recovered.

"We're not going to waste our last year here, though. We're going to use it to do a bit of market research, find out exactly what the average Hogwarts student requires from his joke shop, carefully evaluating the results of our research, and then produce the products to fit the demands," added Fred.

"But where are you going to get the gold to start a joke shop? You're going to need the ingredients and the materials- and premises too, I suppose...," Hermione asked skeptically.

"Ask us no questions and we'll tell you no lies, Hermione," Fred told her, "C'mon, George, if we get there early we might be able to sell a few extendable ears before Herbology." Iris watched them leave happily on their way.

Iris couldn't help but feel out of the loop with Fred and George. She hadn't realized that they weren't planning on not coming back to school next year and she also didn't know that they were thinking of opening a joke shop. Iris got up and heading towards class pondering the future of the twins.


	60. Chapter 60

Fred and George had been right about fifth year. Snape had set an essay about Moonstones that was to be a foot long and Professor Trelawney had given them a months worth of keeping a dream diary.

"Good morning, children." Umbridge had entered the classroom. She had pointed her wand at the blackboard at the front of the room, "Ordinary Wizarding Level examinations; O.W.L.'s or more commonly known as OWLS."

Umbridge turned to the class once she had reached the front of the room, "Study hard and you will be rewarded. Fail to do so and the consequences could be severe. Your previous instruction in this subject has been disturbingly uneven. So you'll be pleased to know from now on you will be following a carefully structured, Ministry-approved course of defensive magic. Yes?"

Hermione had raised hand, "There is nothing in here about using defensive spells?" Iris looked down at the cover of _'Defensive Magic Theory'_ that she pulled out of her bag.

"Using spells? Well, I can't imagine why you would need to use spells in my classroom." Umbridge walked closer to Hermione's desk.

"We're not going to be using magic?" Ron asked.

Umbridge turned on him, "You will be learning about defensive spells in a secure, risk-free way."

Iris furrowed her brow at what she was hearing, "What use is that? If we're being attacked, it won't be risk-free." Everyone in the class turned to look at Iris.

Umbridge's eyes narrowed at her for speaking. "Students will raise their hands when they speak in my class," she snapped.

"It is the view of the Ministry that a theoretical knowledge will be sufficient to get you through your examinations, which after all, is what school is all about." Umbridge continued.

"And how is theory suppose to prepare us for what's out their?" Iris's tone had turned harsh like it had weeks before when she and George had fought.

"There is nothing out there, dear. Who do you imagine would want to attack children like yourself?" Umbridge asked sweetly.

Harry intervened before Iris could say anything else, "Oh, I don't know; maybe Lord Voldemort." Everyone in the room cringed at the name.

Professor Umbridge looked like she was fighting back something painful, then smiled timidly, "Now, let me make this very plain. You have been told that a certain dark wizard is at large once again."

She walked down the aisle towards Harry, "This is a lie."

Harry yelled at her, "It's not a lie. I saw him. I fought him!"

Umbridge turned fast on her heels and headed to the front of the room, "Detention, Mr. Potter."

To add insult to injury, Harry continued to push the matter further, "So Cedric Diggory dropped dead of his own accord?"

She turned on him, "Cedric Diggory's death was a tragic accident."

"It was murder. Voldemort killed him!" he screamed at her.

Clearly having struck a nerve in Umbridge she shouted, "Enough!" making everyone in the room jump. "Enough. See me later, Mr. Potter. My office." She emitted another sickly giggle.

"Now open your books to page five, _'Basics for Beginners'_." Umbridge turned to pull a slip of parchment out of her bag and scribbled down something. "Take this to Professor McGonagall dear," she handed the now sealed parchment to Harry who got up and left the room hastily, slamming the door behind him.


	61. Chapter 61

Iris walked into the common room and saw Fred, George and Lee Jordan surrounded by a gander of first years. They all seemed to be chewing something that Fred had given them from a paper bag he was holding.

Iris made her way over to them and George made room for her to sit. Hermione was walking over to them haughtily when one by one the first years started to faint. Some of them had fallen out of their chairs while others were lolling over the arms.

Iris had started to laugh as all of the first years tongues were hanging out of their mouths. Fred and George were writing their observations on clipboards.

"That's enough!" They all looked up in mild astonishment as Hermione stood in front of them.

"Yeah, you're right; this dosage looks strong enough, doesn't it?" George nodded.

"I told you this morning, you can't test your rubbish on students!" Hermione was yelling.

"We're paying them," Fred said indignantly.

"I don't care, it could be dangerous!" her tone was still harsh.

"Rubbish," Fred said defensively.

"Calm down, Hermione, they're fine!" Lee Jordan reassured her as he placed a purple candy into each of the first year's mouths.

"Yeah, look, they're coming around now," George pointed out. "Feel alright?" he asked a dark haired first year that had fainted near him.

"I think so," she said unsure of what just happened.

"Excellent," Fred went to go and write something on his clipboard but Hermione had snatched it away from him along with the bag of Fainting Fancies.

"It is NOT excellent!" shouted Hermione

"'Course it is, they're alive, aren't they?" Fred retorted angrily.

"You can't do this, what if you made one of them really ill?" she demanded.

"We're not going to make them ill, we've already tested them all on ourselves, this is just to see if everyone reacts the same-." Fred added.

"If you don't stop doing it, I'm going to-." Hermione was trying to think of something she could do to them.

"Put us in detention," Fred smirked.

"Make us write lines," George taunted.

"No, but I will write to your mother," her voice shook with fury.

"You wouldn't," George said horrified, now standing up.

"Oh, yes, I would," she replied satisfied, "I can't stop you from eating the stupid things yourselves, but you're not giving them to first years." She shoved the clipboard and bag into Fred's arms.

Hermione walked back to her chair leaving Fred and George looking abashed, "Well, I think that it's time for me to go to bed," Iris pushed herself up using George's knee and headed up the spiral stairs.


	62. Chapter 62

In Charms class the next day, Professor Flitwick had them all practicing Summoning Charms because he was sure that they would be on their exam.

"What you must remember is that these examinations will influence your futures for many years to come! If you have not already given serious thought to your careers, now is the time to do so. And in the meantime, I'm afraid we shall be working harder than ever to ensure that you all do yourselves justice!" Flitwick squeaked.

Everyone moaned and complained at the amount of homework that he had assigned. The same had happened with Transfigurations.

"You cannot pass an O.W.L. without serious application, practice and study. I see no reason why everybody in this class should not achieve an O.W.L. in Transfiguration as long as they put in the work." Neville made a noise of disbelieving, "Yes, you too, Longbottom. There's nothing wrong with your work except lack of confidence. So…today we are starting Vanishing Spells. These are easier than Conjuring Spells, which you usually don't attempt until N.E.W.T. level, but they are still among the most difficult magic you will be tested on in your O.W.L." McGonagall lectured.

Iris had completely vanished her snail on the seventh attempt and the rest of the class, besides Hermione and her, were given homework.

Iris headed down towards Hagrid's hut to find Professor Grubbly-Plank, "Everyone here?" she barked, "Let's crack on then-who can tell me what these things are called?"

Hermione eagerly raised her hand, "Bowtruckles, they're tree-guardians; they usually live in wand-trees."

"Five points for Gryffindor. Yes, these are Bowtruckles and, as Miss Granger rightly says, they usually live in trees whose wood is of wand quality. Anybody know what they eat?" Grubbly-Plank asked.

"Wood lice; but fairy eggs if they can get them," Hermione said promptly.

"Good girl, take another five points. So whenever you need leaves or wood from a tree which a Bowtruckle lodges, it is wise to have a gift of wood lice ready to distract or placate it. They may not look dangerous, but if angered they will gouge out human eye with their fingers, which, as you can see, are very sharp and not at all desirable near eyeballs. So if you'd like to gather closer, take a few wood lice and a Bowtruckle-I have enough here for one between three-you can study them more closely. I want a sketch from all of you with all body parts labeled by the end of the lesson." Professor Grubbly-Plank instructed.


	63. Chapter 63

Over the next weeks, Iris had read in the _'Daily Prophet'_ that Professor Umbridge had been made High Inquisitor of Hogwarts.

MINISTRY SEEKS EDUCATIONAL REFORMS

DOLORES UMBRIDGE APPOINTED FIRST-EVER 'HIGH INQUISITOR'

_In a surprise move last night the Ministry of Magic passed new legislation giving itself an unprecedented level of control at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. _

_'The Minister has been growing uneasy about goings-on at Hogwarts for some time,' sad Junior Assistant to the Minister Percy Weasley. 'He is now responding to concerns voiced by anxious parents, who feel the school may be moving in a direction they do not approve.' _

_"This is not the first time in recent weeks Fudge has used new laws to effect improvements at the Wizarding school. As recently as 30 August Educational Decree Twenty-two was passed, to ensure that, in the event of the current headmaster being unable to provide a candidate for a teaching post, the Ministry should select an appropriate person._

_ 'That's how Dolores Umbridge came to be appointed to the teaching staff at Hogwarts,' said Weasley last night.'Dumbledore couldn't find anyone, so the Minister put in Umbridge and of course, she's been an immediate success, totally revolutionizing the teaching of Defense Against the Dark Arts and providing the Minister with on-the-ground feedback about what's really happening at Hogwarts.' _

_"It is this last function that the Ministry has now formalized with the passing of Educational Decree Twenty-three, which creates the new position of 'Hogwarts High Inquisitor'. _

_"'This is an exciting new phase in the Minister's plan to get to grips with what some are calling the "falling standards" at Hogwarts,' said Weasley. 'The Inquisitor will have powers to inspect her fellow educators and make sure that they are coming up to scratch. Professor Umbridge has been offered this position in addition to her own teaching post, and we are delighted to say that she has accepted.' _

_"The Ministry's new moves have received enthusiastic support from parents of students at Hogwarts. _

_"'I feel much easier in my mind now that I know that Dumbledore is being subjected to fair and objective evaluation,' said Lucius Malfoy, 41, speaking from his Wiltshire mansion last night. 'Many of us with our children's best interests at heart have been concerned about some of Dumbledore's eccentric decisions in the last few years and will be glad to know that the Ministry is keeping an eye on the situation.' _

_"Among those 'eccentric decisions' are undoubtedly the controversial staff appointments previously described in this newspaper, which have included the hiring of werewolf Remus Lupin, half-giant Rubeus Hagrid, and delusional ex-Auror 'Mad-Eye' Moody. _

_"Rumours abound, of course, that Albus Dumbledore, once Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards and Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, is not longer up to the task of managing the prestigious school of Hogwarts. _

_"'I think the appointment of the Inquisitor is a first step toward ensuring that Hogwarts has a headmaster in whom we can all repose confidence,' said a Ministry insider last night. _

_"Wizengamot elders Griselda Marchbanks and Tiberius Ogden have resigned in protest at the introduction of the post of Inquisitor to Hogwarts. _

_'Hogwarts is a school, not an outpost of Cornelius Fudge's office,' said Madam Marchbanks.'This is a further disgusting attempt to discredit Albus Dumbledore.' (For a full account of Madam Marchbanks' alleged links to subversive goblin groups, turn to page 17)." _

Iris couldn't help but feel that nothing good could come from this. Umbridge would be inspecting teachers and their methods of teaching.

In Potions, Iris had gotten her essay on Moonstones back with the letter 'E' on the top of it, "I have awarded you the grades you would have received if you presented this work in O.W.L.'s. This should give you a realistic idea of what to expect in your examinations."

Snape waltzed up to the front of the room and turned to them, "The general standard of this homework was abysmal. Most of you would have failed had this been your examination. I expect to see a great deal more effort for this week's essay on the various variations of venom antidotes, or I shall have to start handing out detentions to those dunces who got D's."

Iris could hear Draco's harsh whispers, "Some people got D's? Ha!"

Iris sat down next to George at Gryffindor table and he absent-mindedly put his hand on her lower thigh. His arm was on the table and Iris put her hand on his. He turned to her and kissed her on the cheek.

Iris couldn't help but feel that they were growing farther apart but she tried to ignore the nagging feeling the best she could.

"I got a P. Happy?" Ron said scathingly.

"Well, that's nothing to be ashamed of; nothing wrong with a good healthy P." Fred joked.

"But, doesn't P stand for…" started Hermione.

"Poor, yeah; still, better than D, isn't it? 'Dreadful'?" Lee Jordan added.

"So, top grade's O for 'Outstanding' and then there's A-." Hermione continued.

"No, E," George corrected her, "E for 'Exceeds Expectation.' And I've always thought Fred and I should've got E in everything, because we exceeded expectations just by turning up for the exams." George smirked at Iris, squeezing her leg. Everyone laughed except Hermione.

"So after E, it's A for 'Acceptable,' and that's the last pass grade, isn't it?" Hermione plowed on.

"Yep," Fred said as he drank some soup.

"Then you get P for 'Poor' and D for 'Dreadful.'" Ron said in mock happiness.

"And then, T," George reminded them.

"T? Even lower than a D? What on earth does that stand for?" Hermione asked astonished.

"Troll," George answered quickly.

"You lot have an inspected lesson yet?" questioned Fred.

"No, have you?" Iris asked.

"Just now, before lunch," said George, "Charms."

"What was it like?" Hermione asked.

"Not that bad. Umbridge just lurked in the corner making notes on a clipboard. You know what Flitwick's like, he treated her like a guest, didn't seem to bother him at all. She didn't say much. Asked Alicia a couple of question about what the classes are normally like, Alicia told her they were really good, that was it." Fred told them.

"I couldn't see old Flitwick getting marked down. He usually gets everyone through their exams all right," George confessed.

"Who've you got this afternoon?" Fred asked.

"Trelawney-," answered Iris.

"A T if I ever saw one-," added Ron.

"-and Umbridge herself." She finished.

"Well, be a good boy and keep your temper with Umbridge today," George said to Harry, "Angelina'll do her nut if you miss anymore Quidditch practices."


	64. Chapter 64

Once in Divinations class, Iris saw Umbridge, "Good afternoon. You received my note, I trust? Giving the time and date of your inspection?"

Trelawney nodded and looked frustrated, "We shall be continuing our study of prophetic dreams, today. Divide into pairs, please, and interpret each other's latest nighttime visions with the aid of the _Oracle_.

Iris opened the _Dream Oracle_ and started on Neville's dream. Umbridge had started walking around from table to table observing and writing stuff on her clipboard.

Trelawney was at the front of the room when Umbridge cornered her, "Now, you've been in this post how long?"

"Nearly sixteen years." Trelawney said briskly.

"Quite a period, so it was Professor Dumbledore who appointed you?" Umbridge asked.

"That's right," Trelawney said shortly. Iris was watching this dismal exchange.

"And you are the great-great granddaughter of the celebrated Seer, Cassandra Trelawney?" she continued.

"Yes," she answered.

"But I think-correct me if I am mistaken-that you are the first in your family since Cassandra to be possessed of second sense?"

"These things often skip-er-three generations." Trelawney stated nervously.

"Of course. Well if you could just predict something for me then?" Umbridge asked innocently.

"I don't understand," she said grasping at her many shawls.

"I'd like you to make a prediction for me," Umbridge clearly stated.

"The Inner Eye does not See upon demand!" Trelawney screamed in a scandalized tone.

"I see," stated Umbridge plainly as she wrote down another note on her clipboard.

"I-but-but…wait! I…I think I do see something…something that concerns you…Why, I sense something…something dark…some grave peril…" Professor Trelawney predicted, "I am afraid…I am afraid that you are in grave danger!"

"Right, well if that's really the best that you can do…," Umbridge scribbled something else.

When the bell rang, Iris headed for Defense Against the Dark Arts class. Harry had managed to get himself another week of detention with Umbridge.

The next Transfiguration class was to also be monitored by Umbridge and Iris could tell that this was going to be interesting.

"Right then, everyone listen closely-Dean Thomas-if you do that to the mouse again I shall put you in detention-most of you have successfully vanished your snails and even those who were left with a certain amount of shell have the gist of the spell. Today we shall-."

"Hem, hem," Umbridge gave her slight cough that she used to interrupt Dumbledore.

"Yes?" Professor McGonagall turned around looking thoroughly angered by the presence of Umbridge.

"I was just wondering, Professor McGonagall, whether you received my note telling you of the date and time of my-."

"Obviously I received it or I would have asked you what you are doing in my classroom." She turned her back on Umbridge, "As I was saying, today we shall be practicing the altogether more difficult vanishment of mice. Now, the Vanishing Spell…"

"Hem, hem,"

"I wonder how you expect to gain an idea of my usual teaching methods if you continue to interrupt me. You see, I do not generally permit people to talk when I'm talking."

Umbridge looked like she had just been slapped. "As I was saying, the Vanishing Spell becomes more difficult with the complexity of the animal to be vanished. The snail, as an invertebrate, does not present much of a challenge; the mouse, as a mammal, offers a much greater one. This is not, therefore, magic you can accomplish with your mind on your dinner. So-you know the incantation; let me see what you can do…"

To Iris's great displeasure, Umbridge had made to appeared in her Care of Magical Creatures class soon after.

"You don't usually take this class, is that correct?" asked Umbridge.

"Quite correct, I am the substitute teacher standing in for Professor Hagrid," answered Professor Grubbly-Plank.

"Hmm, I wonder-the headmaster seems strangely reluctant to give me any information on the matter-can you tell me what is causing Professor Hagrid's much extended leave of absence?"

"'Fraid I can't. Don't know anything more about it than you do. Got an owl from Dumbledore, would I like a couple of weeks of teaching work, accepted-that's as much as I know. Well…shall I get started?"

"Yes, please do," said Umbridge.

Umbridge wandered around asking everyone about magical creatures then she rejoined Professor Grubbly-Plank, "Overall, how do you, as a temporary member of staff-an objective outsider, I suppose you might say-how do you find Hogwarts? Do you feel you receive enough support from the school management?"

"Oh, yes, Dumbledore's excellent. No, I'm happy with the way things are run, very happy indeed," stated Grubbly-Plank.

Umbridge wrote another quick note, "And what are you planning to cover with this class this year-assuming that Professor Hagrid does not return?"

"Oh, I'll take them through the creatures that most often come up on the O.W.L. Not much left to do-they've studied unicorns and nifflers, I thought we'd cover porlocks and kneazles, make sure they recognize crups and knarls, you know…"

"Well, you seem to know what you're doing anyway. Now, I hear there have been injuries in this class?"

"That was me. I was slashed by a hippogriff," answered Draco.

"A hippogriff?" Umbridge scribbled more and more notes.

"Only because he was too stupid to listen to what Hagrid told him to do," Harry spoke out angrily.

"Another night's detention, I think. Well, thank you very much, Professor Grubbly-Plank, I think that's all I need here. You will receive your results of your inspection within ten days," Umbridge set back up across the lawn.

"Jolly good," Iris heard Professor Grubbly-Plank say.


	65. Chapter 65

Iris was happy to see that the first Hogsmeade trip was planned for the first weekend in October.

At breakfast the morning before, Ron and Hermione approached her, Fred, George and Lee asking if they were interested in learning some real Defense against the Dark Arts. They all agreed to meet them in the Hog's Head pub the following day.

The next morning, Iris looked out the window and saw the wind blowing and the leaves of the surrounding trees falling.

Flute had been antsy for the last few days and wanted something to do so Iris opened the window next to her bed and unhooked the cage latch, releasing him. Flute sat on the edge of the sill and teetered their considering what he wanted to do.

"Go on," Iris urged him and he took off after of a few minutes. She watched him go and closed the window, leaving it opened a crack in case Flute decided to come back.

Iris left for breakfast and left for Hogsmeade soon afterward along with Neville and Dean.

The wind blew high and strong, blowing Iris's scarlet hair into her eyes. It was blowing so furious that Neville, Dean and she had to lean against it, pushing their way forward to the Hog's Head.

When they finally arrived, Iris had noticed that they were the first ones to be there. She looked around and saw that it was the complete opposite of the Three Broomsticks.

More people filed in after them and took their seats around a large booth. Fred, George and Lee had been the last to arrive carrying bags of Zonko's products. Iris had gotten up to hang up her jacket and when she turned around she had seen that George sidled into her seat.

Iris walked over to him, "Get up," she said smiling.

George smirked at her and patted his knee for her to sit on. She rolled her green eyes at him and sat down, since there were no more vacant chairs.

"Don't let Umbridge see you doing that," warned Fred amusingly.

Once everyone was settled in their seats, Hermione stood up, "Hi. So you all know why we're here. We need a teacher-a proper teacher. One who's had real experience defending themselves against the Dark Arts."

"Why?" asked a snobby looking Hufflepuff.

"Why?" asked Ron disbelievingly, "Because You-Know-Who is back you tosspot."

"So he says." The boy looked towards Harry.

"So Dumbledore says," added Hermione.

"So Dumbledore says because he says," the arrogant boy retorted, "The point is, where's the proof?"

A boy that Iris didn't recognize spoke, "Well, if Potter could tell us more about how Diggory got killed."

Harry looked at Cho who was sitting behind Iris, "I'm not going to talk about Cedric so if that's why you're here then you can just clear out. C'mon Hermione they're only here because they think I'm some sort of freak."

"Is it true that you can produce the Patronus Charm?" the dreamy voice of Luna Lovegood floated through the air.

Harry paused but didn't say anything, "Yes, I've seen it." Hermione spoke for him.

"Blimey Harry I didn't know you did that." Dean interjected.

"And he killed a basilisk, with the sword in Dumbledore's office." Neville said confidently.

"It's true," Ginny added.

"Third year, he fought of about a hundred Dementors at once," Ron contributed.

"Last year, he really did fight off You-Know-Who in the flesh," finished Hermione.

"Wait, it all sounds great when you say it like that but the truth is, most of that was just luck. I didn't know what I was doing half the time. I nearly always had help," Harry started.

"He's just being modest," she interjected.

"No, Hermione, I'm not. Facing this stuff in real life is not like school. In school, if you make a mistake, you can just try again tomorrow. But out there, when you're a second away from being murdered or watching a friend die right before your eyes. You don't know what that's like." Harry sat down with his head hanging low.

Iris shifted slightly on George's lap as she waited for someone to continue, "You're right, Harry, we don't. That's why we need your help. Because if we're ever going to have any change of beating…Voldemort," Hermione seemed to struggle with the name.

Nigel, a tiny Gryffindor boy, spoke next, "He's really back."

Iris looked towards Harry as he nodded his head timidly.

Hermione pulled out a quill and parchment for everyone to sign their name on, "We'll send a message round to everybody when we've got a time and a place for the first meeting."

Everyone had formed a line to sign the parchment. Iris was one of the first people to sign it. She waited for Fred, George and Lee by the door and they left to go to Honeydukes.


	66. Chapter 66

The next morning, Iris had noticed a new announcement on the Gryffindor notice board.

_By Order of the 'High Inquisitor of Hogwarts'_

"_All Student Organizations', Societies, Teams, Groups, and Clubs are henceforth disbanded. An Organization, Society, Team, Group, or Club is hereby defined as a regular meeting of three or more students. Permission to re-form may be sought from the High Inquisitor (Professor Umbridge). No Student Organization, Society, Team, Group, or Club may exist without the knowledge and approval of the High Inquisitor. Any student found to have formed, or to belong to, an Organization, Society, Team, Group, or Club that has not been approved by the High Inquisitor will be expelled._"

Iris couldn't believe that someone would have blabbered to Umbridge. It had seemed that she wasn't the only one to think the same thing as Harry and Ron had been fuming about it and muttering to each other under their breath.

She headed down for breakfast followed by Harry, Ron and Hermione. Once she was seated, Angelina came running towards the table, "Harry! Ron!"

"Its okay we are still going-" Harry responded.

"You realize she's including Quidditch in this? We have to go and ask permission to re-form the Gryffindor team!" Angelina screamed.

"What?" said Harry.

"No way," Ron said appalled.

"You read the sign, it mentions teams too! So listen, Harry…I am saying this for the last time…Please, please don't lose your temper with Umbridge again or she might not let us play anymore!" Angelina continued.

"Okay, okay. Don't worry, I'll behave myself…" Harry finished.

Iris got up from the table when the bell rang and left for History of Magic. Binn's was once again lecturing about giant wars.

Hedwig, Harry's snowy, owl had been perched on the window sill; her feathers were oddly ruffled.

"Professor Binns, I'm not feeling well," Harry said loudly as he hid Hedwig behind his back.

The ghost's eyes looked up from his notes, "Not feeling well?"

"Not at all well, I think that I will go to the Hospital Wing."

"Yes. Yes…yes, Hospital Wing…well off you go Perkins…" Binn's said hazily.

Harry left with Hedwig as fast as he could. Iris wondered if she had been attacked.

Fred and George joined Iris at lunch, "Slytherin just got permission to continue practicing Quidditch! This is just great!" Fred told her.

"Don't worry; they are going to have to let you play. Umbridge can't keep you from playing." Iris reassured them.


	67. Chapter 67

Back in the common room, Iris watched Fred and George showing off their Skiving Snackboxes. George had eaten half of a Puking Pastille and he started projectile vomiting into a bucket that Fred was holding. He stopped puking long enough to eat the other half of sweet; he stopped almost immediately. The students all applauded and paid for some of the Puking Pastilles.

As the students dispersed, Fred, George and Lee Jordan counted their earnings. Before they went up to the Boy's Dormitory, George came over and sat on the arm of the chair prepared to kiss Iris goodnight. Iris wasn't about to let him kiss her after he had just been making himself throw up.

As he leaned in, Iris moved out of the way, "Not until you brush your teeth," He didn't look surprised and kissed her on the cheek instead.

"Good-night, Iris," he whispered and left to go to bed. She watched them go and decided that it was time for her to go to bed as well.

Hermione had caught up with Iris and George in the Great Hall, "We've found somewhere to have our first defense practice. Tonight, eight o'clock, seventh floor, opposite the tapestry of Barnabus the Barmy being clubbed by those trolls. Can you tell Fred and Lee?"

"Yeah, sure thing," Iris told her.

The four of them arrived at the wall opposite the tapestry. Iris looked up at the large wooden door and pushed it opened.

On the other side of the door, Iris was amazed to see an enormously long room with bookshelves full of books, cushions lain on the floor, and many other things.

Iris took a cushion near the back of the room with George, who was leaning against the wall. He had pulled Iris and her cushion over and positioned her in between his legs and he reclined back towards the wall. Iris leaned into him and made herself more comfortable.

"Well, this is the place we've found for practice and you've-er-obviously found it okay." Harry started.

"It's fantastic!" said Cho.

Iris heard Fred, "It's bizarre. We once we hid from Filch in here, remember, George? But it was just a broom cupboard then…"

'Hey, Harry, what's this stuff?" asked Dean indicating the Sneakoscopes and Foe-Glass.

"Dark Detectors, basically they all show when Dark wizards or enemies are around, but you don't want to rely on them to much, they can be fooled…" Harry specified.

"Well, I've been thinking about the kind of things we ought to do first and-er-What Hermione?"

"I think we ought to elect a leader." She said.

"Harry's leader," Cho said instantly.

"Yes but I think that we ought to vote on it properly. It makes it formal and gives him authority. So-everyone who thinks Harry ought to be leader?" Hermione asked.

Everyone, including the snobby Hufflepuff, Zacharias Smith, raised their hand, "Er-right, thanks. What Hermione?"

"I also think that we ought to have a name. It would promote a feeling of team spirit and unity, don't you think?" she asked again.

"Can we be the Anti-Umbridge League?" asked Angelina.

"Or the Ministry of Magic Are Morons Group?" Fred joked.

"I was thinking more of a name that didn't tell everyone what we were up to, so we can refer to it safely outside meetings?" Hermione suggested.

"The Defense Association? The D.A. for short, so nobody knows what we are talking about?" Cho advised.

"Yeah, the D.A.'s good. Only let's make it stand for Dumbledore's Army because that's the Ministry's worst fear, isn't it?" Iris spoke up.

"All in favor of the D.A.? That's a majority-motion passed." Hermione said bossily.

Iris saw Hermione pin the parchment onto the wall, reading 'Dumbledore's Army' across the top.

"Right, shall we get practicing then? I was thinking, the first thing we should do is _Expelliarmus_, you know, the Disarming Charm. I know it's pretty basic but I've found it really useful-." Harry suggested.

"Oh, please. I don't think _Expelliarmus_ is exactly going to help us against You-Know-Who, do you?" Zacharias Smith interrupted.

"I've used it against him. It saved my life last June." Harry stated, "If you think it's beneath you then you can leave."

"Okay. I reckon we should all divide into pairs and practice," He continued. Iris leaned forward as George got up first, pulling her up soon after.

Iris drew her wand and was standing opposite George prepared to disarm him. Fred and Lee Jordan stood next to them paired together.

"Right-on the count of three, then-one, two, three-," Harry's voice echoed through the room.

The room was filled with the word, _Expelliarmus!_ George's wand went flying out of his hand so fast her hadn't known that it had gone. "_Accio wand"_ Iris said and gave him back his wand.

"I let you do that," George said heartily. Iris just rolled her eyes and smiled.

Fred and George stopped and whispered something to each other. One at a time, they had pointed their wands at Zacharias. Every time he went to disarm Anthony Goldstein his wand would fly out of his hand and hit the ceiling.

After the first attempt, Harry had started to make his way around and noticed what the twins were doing. "Sorry Harry. Couldn't resist…" George said as he lowered his wand.

Iris looked around and saw that everyone was attempting the spell in vain. "Okay, stop! Stop! STOP!" Harry shouted. He summoned a whistle and blew it as everyone stopped dead. "That wasn't bad but there's definite room for improvement. Let's try again…"

George and Iris were opposite each other again. She didn't want to beat him to it every time so she let him cast the spell first, _Expelliarmus!_ Iris's wand was thrown across the room in front of Harry's feet.

Iris made to retrieve it but as she bent down to pick it up, it zoomed away from her. She looked up to find it in George's hand; he smirked at her slyly, shaking the wand, taunting her to come get it.

Iris made her way over to him and grabbed for her wand but George, who was much taller than she, had raised his arm over his head, with the wand in it.

She stood back and tried to jump for it but came off a little too short. Iris grabbed at his arm trying to pull it down but was unsuccessful. George stood there laughing at her vain attempts. Iris could tell that many of the others had been watching them out of the corner of their eyes.

He lowered his arm slightly. Iris took the chance to get her wand back but as she went to pull it away he held on tight. The wand was now level with her chest.

Iris made it seem that she was going to kiss him but lingered; her lips barely brushing his, "I let you do that." She smiled coyly and yanked the wand away from him and walked back to her spot opposite him. She could hear Lee and Fred laughing hysterically at George.

"Harry, have you checked the time?" Hermione asked from the other side of the room.

"Well, that was pretty good, but we've overrun, we'd better leave it here. Same time, same place next week?" asked Harry.

"Sooner!" said Dean apprehensively.

"The Quidditch season is about to start, we need team practices too!" Angelina interjected.

"Let's say, next Wednesday, then, and we decide on additional meetings then…c'mon we'd better get going…" Harry concluded. Iris watched as he pulled out a piece of parchment and let the newly formed D.A leave, four at a time.

George had taken hold of Iris's hand as she, Fred, Lee and him left together trying to get back to the common room undetected.


	68. Chapter 68

Over the next two weeks, the D.A. had met again and Iris was amazed at all of the spells that she had not learned yet.

Hermione had given each member of the D.A. a fake Galleon that would project the time and date of the next meeting, where the normal place for the serial number would have been. The coins also would grow hot so that they would know that the numbers had changed.

As the first Quidditch game of the season between Gryffindor, who had been approved to play, and Slytherin drew closer the meetings were postponed for practices.

October faded into November slowly but surely; the day of the match had dawned. Ron was the newest addition to the Gryffindor team as keeper, and Iris noticed that almost all of the Slytherins had been wearing a pin that read, 'Weasley is our King.'

Iris made her way to the Quidditch Pitch for the game, tromping across the frosty grass that crunched under her feet.

Both teams had entered the field and Iris was surprised to see that Crabbe and Goyle had replaced Bole and Derrick, the Slytherin Beaters. Angelina and Montague shook hands and took off from the ground at the sound of the bell.

As soon as the game started, a chorus of song from the Slytherins erupted.

_Weasley cannot save a thing,_

_He cannot block a single ring,_

_That's why Slytherins all sing:_

_Weasley is our King._

_Weasley was born in a bin_

_He always lets the Quaffle in_

_That's why Slytherins all sing:_

_Weasley is our King._

_Weasley is our King,_

_Weasley is our King,_

_Weasley will make sure we win_

_Weasley is our King._

The lyrics rang through the stands and Iris couldn't help but feel infuriated at them as they repeated the wretched song.

Slytherin had scored as the Quaffle zoomed through one of the three hoops behind Ron. Harry was floating in mid-air on his Firebolt, watching the progression of the game. He soon was moving again as Slytherin scored again.

Ron had let in two more goals as Harry continued to search feverishly for the Snitch. Gryffindor had finally scored when Harry spotted it and dove after the golden orb.

As Harry grabbed it he was hit in the back by a Bludger causing him to fall to the ground. Madam Hooch was scolding the person who had done it while the team had landed around Harry.

Iris stood up in the stands to watch Malfoy taunting them, "Saved Weasley neck, haven't you? I've never seen a worse Keeper…but then he was born in a bin…did you like my lyrics, Potter?"

"We wanted to write a few more verses! But we couldn't find rhymes for fat and ugly-we wanted to talk about his mother see-." Malfoy was asking for it.

Iris could tell that this wasn't going to end well. She got up hastily from her seat and pushed through the other by-standers.

"Talk about sour grapes," Iris heard Angelina say as she was almost on the field.

"We couldn't fit in useless loser either-for his father, you know-." Draco stated.

As Iris made it onto the field she saw Fred and George stiffen and glare at Draco. "Leave it. Leave it, Fred, just let him yell. He's just sore he lost, the jumped up little-."

"-but you like the Weasley's, don't you, Potter and you, Blackthorne, of course. Just look who you're going out with." Draco added as Iris was as red as her hair, her eyes flashing dangerously. She attempted to hit him in the face but was grabbed by Angelina.

"Spending holidays there and everything, do you? Can't see how you could stand the stink, but I suppose when you've been brought up by Muggles, even the Weasley's hovel smells okay-."

Harry had grabbed George, stopping him and Angelina had let go of Iris to restrain Fred along with the efforts of Katie and Alicia. Malfoy laughed loudly and boisterously at the attempt.

"Or perhaps, you can remember what your mother's house stank like, Potter, and even you Blackthorne, and the Weasley's pigsty reminds you of it-."

Iris had marched up to Malfoy and slugged him right in the face, forgetting that all of the teacher's were watching. The entire stadium gasped in surprise. She stepped back and watched Harry and George run at him and attack him with pure fury.

Coming out of her sudden burst of anger, Iris saw the three of them fighting on the ground. She panicked and started screaming, "Harry! GEORGE! STOP! NO!" Iris could hear George swearing, the bellowing of the crowd, and the blowing of Madam Hooch's whistle.

Iris sprinted to stop them; trying to pull them off Malfoy with little success. "_IMPEDIMENTA!_" she heard from somewhere behind her and she was thrown backwards.

"What do you think you're doing?" Madam Hooch screamed as she ran forward with her wand, as her broom lay abandon several yards away. Iris got up and saw that Draco was curled up on the ground; his nose was gushing blood from the efforts of her, Harry and George.

She helped George off the ground and saw that he had a swollen lip. Iris saw that Fred was still being restrained by the three girls. "I've never seen behavior like it-back up to the castle, the three of you, straight to your Head of House's office! Go! Now!" Madam Hooch yelled at them.


	69. Chapter 69

All three of them had stalked up towards the castle, not saying a word. Iris looked down at her now bruising knuckle. They had barely made it to the entrance hall when McGonagall had marched swiftly up behind them. "In!" she said severely.

They all obeyed and McGonagall turned on them as she reached her desk; she was shaking with fury and rage. "Well? I have never seen such a disgraceful exhibition." McGonagall had turned to look at Iris disappointedly, shaking her head, "Miss Blackthorne. I am sorely disappointed. I never would have expected-not from you-!"

She turned back to face all three of them, "Three on one! Explain yourselves!"

"Malfoy provoked us," Harry said stiffly.

"Provoked you?" McGonagall had slammed her fist on the desk so hard that it caused a tin of Ginger Newts to fall to the floor, "He'd just lost; of course he would want to provoke you! But what on earth could he have said to justify what you three…?"

"He insulted my parents, Iris and Harry's mother," George thundered.

"But instead of leaving it to Madam Hooch to sort out, you three decided to give an exhibition of Muggle dueling, did you? Have you any idea what you've-? Roared McGonagall.

"Hem, hem."

Iris, George and Harry had all turned around to find Umbridge standing in the doorway. "May I help, Professor McGonagall? She asked in a sickeningly sweet tone.

"Help? What do you mean, help?" McGonagall asked harshly.

"Why, I thought that you might be grateful for a little more authority." She was still smiling venomously sweet.

"You thought wrong," McGonagall turned her back on Umbridge, "Now, you three, had better listen closely. I don't care what provocation Malfoy offered you, I do not care if he insulted every family member you posses. Your behavior was disgusting and I am giving each of you a week's worth detention! Do not look at me like that, Potter, you deserve it! And if any of you ever-,"

"Hem, hem."

McGonagall looked like she had taken all she could, "Yes?"

"I think that they deserve rather more than detentions," Umbridge said still smiling.

"But unfortunately, it is what I think that counts, as they are in my House, Dolores!" Snapped McGonagall.

"Well, actually, Minerva, I think that you'll find that what I think does count," Umbridge started rummaging through her purse, "Now, where is it? Cornelius just sent it. I mean, the Minister just sent it…Ah, yes…"

"Hem, hem…Educational Decree Number Twenty-Five…"

"Not another one!" McGonagall bellowed.

"Well, yes. As a matter of fact, Minerva, it was you who made me see that we needed a further amendment…You remember how you overrode me, when I was unwilling to allow the Gryffindor Quidditch team to re-form? How you took the case to Dumbledore, who insisted that the team be allowed to play? Well, now, I couldn't have that. I contacted the Minister at once, and he quite agreed with me that the High Inquisitor has to have the right to strip pupils of their privileges, or she-that is to say, I-would have less authority than common teachers! And you see, now, don't you, Minerva, how right I was in attempting to stop the Gryffindor team re-forming? Dreadful tempers…" Iris could feel her anger growing inside her.

"Anyway, I was reading out our amendment…hem, hem… '_The High Inquisitor will henceforth have supreme authority over all punishments, sanctions and removal of privilege pertaining to the students of Hogwarts, and the power to alter such punishments, sanctions and removal of privileges as may have been ordered by other staff members. Signed Cornelius Fudge, Order of Merlin First Class, etc, etc…_" She put the parchment back in her bag.

"So…I really think I will have to ban these two from playing Quidditch ever again." Iris saw Umbridge look from George to Harry with a wicked look on her toad-like face.

"Ban us? From playing…ever again?" Harry asked distantly.

"Yes, Mr. Potter, I think a life long ban ought to do the trick. You and Mr. Weasley here. And I think, to be safe, this young man's twin ought to be stopped too-if his teammates had not restrained him, I feel sure he would have attacked Mr. Malfoy as well. I will want their broomsticks confiscated, of course; I shall keep them safely in my office, to make sure there is no infringement of my ban. But I am not unreasonable, Professor McGonagall. The rest of the team can continue, I saw no signs of violence from any of them,"

Umbridge had turned to Iris, glaring cynically at her, "As for you, that was no way for a lady to act. You will be serving detention with me. One week of it. After you serve your detention with Professor McGonagall; every night in my office. It will be starting on Monday."

Harry had a horrified look on his face at this sudden news. Iris could see his fist clenched around the madly fluttering Snitch. She had noticed irritated scaring on his hand that distantly look like words.

"Well, good afternoon to you," Umbridge looked at them all with arrogant satisfaction and walked from the room with her head held high.

Back in the common room, Angelina was ranting "Banned. Banned. No seeker and no Beaters…what on earth are we to do?"

"It's just so unfair. I mean what about Crabbe and that Bludger he hit after the whistle had been blown? Has she banned him?" Alicia asked numbly.

"No, he just got lines, I heard Montague laughing about it during dinner." Ginny had informed them.

George was sitting on the arm of the chair that Iris was seated in. He was still fuming over his life ban; an ugly expression presented itself on his face.

"And banning Fred when he didn't even do anything!" vented Alicia.

Fred said with an equally ugly expression on his face, "It's not my fault I didn't. I would've pounded the little scumbag to a pulp if you hadn't been holding me back. Although I have to admit, that was a nice shot, Iris. I bet Malfoy's nose is still bleeding."

Everyone murmured their agreement and the mood seemed to lighten for a moment but soon returned to the dower feeling that lingered in the air for far too long.

Iris looked out the window as snow started to fall. "I'm going to bed. Maybe this will all turn out to have been a bad dream…Maybe I'll wake up tomorrow and find we haven't played yet…" Angelina got to her feet and made her way to the girl's dormitory.

She was followed by Katie and Alicia. Iris got up to go and turned to George. He was still glowering about everything but he looked at her and his features soften somewhat.

Iris sat on his knee and hugged him sideways. She ran her fingers through his ginger hair and kissed him on the cheek, "Good night." She got up and went upstairs.

It was Monday in Care of Magical Creatures and Umbridge was evaluating Hagrid who had reappeared in class.

"We're working in here today! Bit more sheltered! Anyway they prefer the dark…" Hagrid stated as they walked into the ForbiddenForest.

Iris's mind was off on other things and didn't hear anything that anyone was saying. She was too concerned about her detention with Umbridge along the next D.A. meeting.

They had moved forward around something that Iris couldn't see but some people could.

The only words that had gotten Iris's attention was, "Hem, hem." She turned to look at the short stout toad.

Iris edged her way from the group and stood by a solitary tree, trying to ignore Umbridge. The lesson also seemed pointless if she couldn't see what they were supposed to be learning about. Although Iris paid attention to what Hagrid was saying about the Thestrals.

Umbridge had harassed Hagrid enough for now and finished writing on her clipboard, "Well, Hagrid, I think I have enough to be getting along with…You will receive-the results of your inspection-in ten days' time." Umbridge was talking as if to a small child; miming what she was talking about to him.

As Umbridge passed Iris she smiled at her, "I will be seeing you tonight." Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson were laughing at her. Iris made to punch him as he flinched and backed away with a look of panic and horror.


	70. Chapter 70

George, Harry and Iris had finished Monday night detention with McGonagall. George had decided to walk Iris to her first detention with Umbridge.

"Good luck with that one," George said.

"Thanks. I'll need it." She told him as she entered the classroom. Iris moved up the stairs to Umbridge's office; the door was already open.

"Ah, Miss Blackthorne," Umbridge was sipping from a floral teacup. Iris looked around the office and found dozens of pink plates with meowing kittens on them.

"Was that Mr. Weasley I saw at the door?" Umbridge asked looking up at Iris.

"Yes, Professor, it was."

"Hmmm…," Umbridge took another sip from her cup. It hit Iris odd that she cared.

Umbridge stood up and walked over to a desk that was set up with leaves of parchment and a quill with no ink quell. "You will be writing me some lines tonight."

Iris sat down at the desk, "You will be writing, 'I must behave myself.'"

Iris picked up the quill prepared to write, "You haven't given me any ink, Professor."

"You won't need any, dear," Umbridge had turned to the dark snow filled window.

"How many times do you want?"

"Until the message sinks in," Umbridge said unturned from the window.

Iris started to write with the black quill and she noticed that the ink was blood red. A sudden searing pain shot through her other hand. She fought her forthcoming screams of pain.

Iris watched as her words had been slowly etched into her hand. Her hand was burning incessantly.

She continued to write the horrid words as the words cut deeper and deeper into her skin. Her hand wasn't bleeding but it was raw and the air was stinging it violently.

The words had become etched so deep in her hand that she thought they would never fade.

By the time Iris had written over one hundred repetitions her hand was as red as the blood on her parchment. "I think that is enough for tonight. I will see you tomorrow; same time." Umbridge had said from her desk.

Iris got up to leave and was at the door when Umbridge had started to speak to her again, "Oh and Miss Blackthorne don't bring Mr. Weasley with you tomorrow."

Iris didn't look back but paused for a moment taking in her words. She left for the common room, rubbing her sore scarred hand.

It was the last D.A. meeting before the holiday break. Iris had been invited to the Burrow for Christmas along with Harry.

"Okay, I thought this evening we should just go over the things we've done so far, because it's the last meeting before the holidays and there's no point starting anything new before a three week break-." Harry started.

"We're not going to learn anything new? If I'd known that, I wouldn't have come…" Zacharias Smith's whispered echoed through the Room of Requirement.

"We're all really sorry that Harry didn't tell you, then," Fred said loudly.

"We can practice in pairs." Harry continued, "We'll start with the Impediment Jinx, just for ten minutes and then we get out the cushions and practice Stunning again."

At the end of the hour allotted to them Harry called their attention, "You're getting really good. When we get back from the holidays we can start some of the big stuff-maybe even Patronuses."

Iris left with George and they headed back towards the common room, but Iris almost forgot her detention with Umbridge. She hid her scarred hand, "George, I have to go to my detention with Umbridge."

"How many days do you still have?" George asked casually taking both of her hands in his. Iris winced at his touch. "What was that for?" He rubbed the tops of her hands with his thumbs.

His thumbs ran over the written scars, "What is that?" he pushed the sleeve on Iris's robe up; revealing the deep incisions on her red hand.

George's eyes grew wide, "What the bloody hell is that? Who did this to you? When did this happen?" he demanded.

Iris gingerly took her hand away from him, "Did Umbridge do this to you? Iris?" she didn't want to look at him. "Tell me, Iris!"

"Yes," was all she could whisper.

"The woman is torturing you!" George's voice started to rise as it had done only months before.

"This is my last day writing lines for her, I promise" Iris told him, pleading more than anything.

"If you don't tell McGonagall, then I will! She shouldn't be doing that!" Iris kept her eyes on her hand.

"George, please, don't do anything. You'll only get into even more trouble!" Iris begged him.

"I can't promise anything," he said indifferently.

"I have to go or I'll be late," she said in a tired voice.

"Alright," he kissed her sore hand; she tried not to cringe at the pain. Then George headed off to the Gryffindor common room fuming over what he had just discovered.

Iris watched him go, and then she headed to Umbridge's office. At the sight of the black quill, her hand started to itch and burn.

She sat at the desk and reluctantly picked up the quill, etching the wicked lines onto the parchment.

The gash of words on her abraded hand was once more spliced opened; blood trickling down.

Iris was ready to cry from the pain but knew that it would be giving in to what Umbridge wanted her to do. She didn't want to show weakness so she held it in until she had reached her bed back in GryffindorTower.


	71. Chapter 71

Iris had been woken from her dreamless sleep by Ginny who was now awake and shaking her, "Iris. We have to go to the Headmaster's office, now."

Iris thought this strange to be going at this time of night. She got up hastily pulling on her robe and going with Ginny.

McGonagall was waiting in the common room for them. Fred and George, who looked just as awake as Iris was, were standing by McGonagall. "Come with me, please," she asked them, speeding through the portrait hole.

They had made it to Dumbledore's office within minutes, "Harry, what's going on? McGonagall said you saw dad hurt…" Ginny asked.

"Your father has been injured in the course of his work for the Order of the Phoenix. He has been taken to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magic Maladies and Injuries. I am sending you back to Sirius's house, which is much more convenient for the hospital than the Burrow. You will meet your mother there," Dumbledore told them.

"How are we going? Floo powder?" asked Fred.

"No, Floo powder is not safe at the moment; you will be taking a Portkey. We are just waiting for Phineas Nigellus to report back…I wish to be sure that the coast is clear before sending you-."

There was a burst of flames as a single golden feather floated in the air in the middle of the room. "It is Fawkes's warning. She must know that you are out of bed…Minerva, go and head her off-tell her any story-." Dumbledore told her as he caught the gold feather.

McGonagall disappeared, "He says he'll be delighted. My great-great-grandson has always had an odd taste in houseguests…" A portrait of a man dressed in green said, sound extremely bored.

"Come here, then," Dumbledore asked all of them, "And quickly before anyone else joins us…"

"You have all used a Portkey before," he asked. Everyone one except for Iris nodded, "You will be fine Miss Blackthorne. Just place your hand on the kettle and don't let go. If you must, hang onto Mr. Weasley," he indicated George who took her hand and gripped it tight. They all placed their hands on the black kettle.

"On the count of three then…one…two…three," Iris could feel herself being zoomed away from the stone office; landing sprawled on the floor of Grimmauld Place.

Iris could distantly hear an old voice croak, "Back again, the blood traitor brats, is it true their father is dying…?"

The voice of Sirius cut through the air, "OUT!"

Iris was pulled to her feet by Fred, "What's going on? Phineas Nigellus said Arthur's been badly injured-." Sirius asked breathlessly.

"Ask Harry," Fred told him.

"Yeah, I want to hear this for myself," George added. They all stared at Harry to listen to his story.

"It was-I had-a kind of-vision-." Harry slowly but surely recounted his story about how he watched a snake attack Mr. Weasley. Iris took hold of George's hand as he clenched his fist and was turning white.

They all continued to stare at him after he had finished. Fred had turned to Sirius, "Is Mum here?"

"She probably doesn't even know what's happened yet," he answered, "The important thing was to get you away from Umbridge before she could interfere. I expect Dumbledore is letting Molly know now."

"We've got to get to St. Mungo's. Sirius, can you lend us cloaks or anything?" Ginny said with vital importance.

Iris looked around and saw that they were all still in their pajamas. "Hang on, you can't go tearing off to St. Mungo's!" Sirius barked.

'Course we can, if we want. He's our dad!" Fred said indignantly.

"And how are you going to explain how you knew Arthur was attacked before the hospital even let his wife know?" Sirius asked.

"What does that matter?" George said scathingly.

"It matters because we don't want to draw attention to the fact that Harry is having visions of things happening hundreds of miles away! Have you any idea of what the Ministry would make of that information?" Sirius said angrily.

"Somebody else could have told us…We could have heard it somewhere other than Harry…" Ginny suggested.

"Like who? Listen, your dad's been hurt on duty for the Order and the circumstances are fishy enough without his children knowing about it the second after it happened, you would seriously damage the Order's-."

"We don't care about the dumb Order!" Fred yelled.

"It's our dad dying we're talking about!" Shouted George.

"Your father knew what he was getting into, and he wont thank you for messing things up for the Order! This is how it is-this is why you're not in the Order-you don't understand-there are things worth dying for!" The color in Sirius's face rose as he bellowed at them.

"Easy for you to say, stuck here! I don't see you risking your neck!" Fred couldn't control his words.

The color in Sirius's face drained and he looked like he wanted to punch Fred more than anything but restrained himself. "I know it's hard, but we've all got to act as though we don't know anything yet. We've got to stay put, at least until we hear from your mother, all right?"

Fred and George looked mutinous and glared at Sirius for a moment or so longer before sitting down.

Iris sat down against the wall and reclined her head to make herself more comfortable. She couldn't help but feel like she was going to fall asleep.

"That's right, come on, let's all…let's all have a drink while we're waiting. _Accio Butterbeer!_" Half a dozen butterbeers flew from the pantry, landing on the table.

Iris didn't move to get up but George had brought her over a Butterbeer as he joined her on the floor; they were leaning on each other. He took her scarred hand and was rubbing it absent-mindedly.

A burst of flame appeared in mid-air as a note fell on the table along with a phoenix tail feather.

"Fawkes! That's not Dumbledore's writing-it must be a message from your mother-here-." Sirius handed the letter to George who had picked his head up off of Iris's. Iris wanted to read the note but thought that it would be incredibly insensitive.

George looked up at everyone, "Still alive…But that makes it sound…" he said slowly. He didn't finish but they knew what he was thinking; it sounded like Mr. Weasley was in between life and death.

Fred grabbed the paper out of George's hand and read it for himself. After he had finished he looked at Harry almost accusingly. George laid his head back on Iris's.

Sirius had suggested that they all go to bed but Fred, George and Ginny had given him looks of detestation.

Iris' eyes started to droop as she was slowly falling asleep. Her eyes fluttered open as if she was wide awake as Mrs. Weasley had burst through the kitchen door at ten past five in the morning.

Harry, Ginny and Fred rose as Mrs. Weasley came in.

"He is going to be alright. He's sleeping. We can all go and see him later. Bill's sitting with him now; he's going to take the morning off work." Mrs. Weasley sounded dreadfully tired.

Fred had sunk back into his chair with his hands covering his face. George, who had gotten up of the floor, and Ginny had both rushed over to hug Mrs. Weasley. Ron gave a shaky laugh and downed his Butterbeer.

"Breakfast! Where's that accursed house-elf? Kreacher! KREACHER!" shouted Sirius, who was trying not to interrupt the Weasley's moment.

"Oh, forget it, then. So it's breakfast for-let's see-eight…Bacon and eggs, I think, and some tea, and toast." Sirius counted everyone in the room.

Harry ran over to help with breakfast and Iris sat watching all of them interacting together, happier than they had been all night.

"I don't know what would have happened if it hadn't been for you, Harry. They might not have found Arthur for hours, and then it would have been too late, but thanks to you he's alive and Dumbledore's been able to think up a good cover story for Arthur being where he was, you've no idea what trouble he would have been in otherwise, look at poor Sturgis…" Mrs. Weasley told Harry.

Iris stood up to join Fred, George and Ginny at the table, "Oh, Sirius, I'm so grateful…they think he'll be there a little while and it would be wonderful to be nearer…Of course, that might mean we're here for Christmas…" Mrs. Weasley told him.

"The more the merrier!" Sirius said sincerely.

**I am sorry all of this is taking so long and there are long gaps between me uploading more chapters. I hope you enjoyed it so far! Please review :)**


	72. Chapter 72

After breakfast, everyone headed upstairs to get some sleep. Iris walked into George's room and lay on the bed beside him. She wanted to comfort and be there him. He beckoned her over and let her lay in his arms as they both fell asleep immediately.

By lunchtime the next day, all of their trunks had arrived. Flute, was hooting cheerfully at the sight of Iris.

Mad-Eye Moody and Tonks had arrived to take them to the wizard hospital.

Iris had dressed in her Muggle clothes and they left for St. Mungo's. The train ride was just like any other that Iris had been on but when they reached a small brick department store that had the sign, 'closed for refurbishment' Iris could help but think, you have got to be kidding me'. There was a manikin in the front window; Tonks walked up to the glass and started talking to the dummy.

Tonks had walked through the glass with Ginny and Mrs. Weasley as the manikin beckoned them forward. Iris walked beside Ron as the rest of them entered.

On the other side of the glass, Iris was amazed to see large numbers of witches and wizards in green robes walking up and down aisles where patients sat with their various conditions.

"Over here!" Mrs. Weasley shouted over the clambering of the patients. Iris followed her into a queue that had a sign that read, inquiries.

"Hello, my husband, Arthur Weasley, was supposed to be moved to a different ward this morning, can you tell us-?" inquired Mrs. Weasley.

"Arthur Weasley? Yes, first floor, second door on the right, Dai Llewellyn ward," the witch told her.

"Thank you. Come on, you lot," Mrs. Weasley beckoned.

They all made their way to the ward, "We'll wait outside Molly. Arthur won't want too many visitors at once…It ought to be the family first." Tonks said to her.

George grabbed hold of Iris's hand and pulled her along with him as he snuck his way through the door. "Don't be silly, Harry…Arthur wants to thank you…" Harry was pushed forward into the ward.

Mr. Weasley was in the bed closest to the window of the small, dingy ward. "Hello! Bill just left Molly, has to go back to work but he said he would drop in on you later…"

"How are you Arthur? You're still looking a bit peaky…" Mrs. Weasley said as she leaned down to kiss him on the cheek.

"I feel absolutely fine. If they could only take the bandages off, I would be fit to go home."

"Why can't they take them off, dad?" asked Fred.

"Well I start bleeding like mad every time they try. It seems that there was some rather unusual poison in that snake's fangs that keep wounds open…," Hearing Mr. Weasley talk about his injuries, made Iris feel terrible.

He leaned over to the table and gave his wand a wave as seven chairs appeared. He had finally noticed Iris, "Ah, Iris, how good to see you dear."

They're sure they'll find and antidote, though, they said they had much worse cases than mine, and in the meantime I just have to take a Blood-Replenishing Potion every hour. But that fellow over there," Mr. Weasley looked over at the man across the aisle from him, who was laying on his back staring at the ceiling. "Bitten by a werewolf, the poor chap. No cure at all," he lowered his voice so that no one besides them could hear it.

"A werewolf? Is he safe in a public ward? Shouldn't he have a private room?" Mrs. Weasley whispered alarmed.

"Its two weeks till the full moon. They've been talking to him this morning, the Healers, you know, trying to persuade him saying that he will lead an almost normal life. I said to him-didn't mention any names of course-but I said I knew a werewolf personally, very nice man, who finds the condition easy to manage."

"What did he say?" George asked questioningly.

"Said he'd give me another bite if I didn't shut up," Iris couldn't help but stifle a laugh at this, "And that woman over there, won't tell the Healers what bit her, which makes us all think that it was something illegal. Whatever it was it took a real chunk out of her leg, very nasty smelling when they take off the dressings."

"So you're going to tell us what happened, dad?" Fred asked moving his chair closer.

"Well, you already know, don't you? It's very simple-I'd had a very long day, dozed off, got sneaked up on, and bitten."

"Is it in the Prophet, you being attacked?" Fred continued.

"No, of course not, the Ministry wouldn't want everyone to know a dirty great serpent got-."

"Arthur!" Mrs. Weasley warned him.

"-Got-er-me," he recovered hastily.

"So where were you when it happened, dad?" George asked eagerly.

"That's my business. I was just reading about Willy Winddershins's arrest when you arrived. You know Willy turned out to be behind those regurgitating toilets last summer? One of his jinxes backfired, the toilet exploded and they found him lying unconscious in the wreckage, covered head to foot in-."

"When you say you were 'on duty,' what were you doing?" Fred interrupted.

"You heard your father; we are not discussing this here. Go on about Willy Winddershins, Arthur-."

"Well, don't ask me how, but he actually got off on the toilet charge. I can only suppose gold exchanged hands-." Mr. Weasley told them darkly.

"You were guarding it, weren't you? The weapon? The thing You-Know-Who wants?" George asked smartly.

"George, be quiet!" Mrs. Weasley said hotly. Iris and George looked at each other and she knew that they were thinking the same thing. He was right.

"Anyway, this time Willy's been caught selling biting doorknobs to Muggles, and I don't think he will be able to worm his way out of it, because according to this article, two Muggles have lost fingers and are now in St. Mungo's for emergency bone growth and memory modifications. Just think of it, Muggles in St. Mungo's. I wonder what ward they are in." He looked around eagerly as if looking for them.

"Didn't you say You-Know-Who's got a snake, Harry? A massive one? You saw it the night he returned, didn't you?" Fred pressed on.

"That's enough. Mad-Eye and Tonks are outside, Arthur, they want to come and to see you. You lot, can wait outside. You can come and say good-bye afterwards. Go on…," Mrs. Weasley told them.

They all trooped out of the room as Mad-Eye and Tonks marched in.

"Fine, be like that. Don't tell us anything." Fred said indignantly as he rummaged in his pocket.

"Looking for these?" George held out long flesh colored strings in his hand.

"You read my mind. Let's see if St. Mungo's puts Imperturbable Charms on its ward doors, shall we?" Fred handed a string to everyone, "Okay, go!"

Iris put the string in her ear and listened as the extendable ear snaked its way to the end of the small ward. She could hear Tonk's whispering, "…they searched the whole area but they couldn't find the snake, it just seemed to vanish after it attacked you, Arthur…But You-Know-Who couldn't have expected a snake to get in, can he?"

"I reckon he sent it as a look out, 'cause he's not had any luck so far. No, I reckon he's trying to get a clearer picture of what he's facing, and if Arthur hadn't been there the beast would've had much more time to look around. So Potter says he saw it all happened?" Moody growled.

"Yes, you know, Dumbledore seems almost to have been waiting for Harry to see something like this…" Mrs. Weasley sounded nervous.

Yeah, well, there's something funny about that Potter kid, we all know that." Moody confessed gruffly.

"Dumbledore seemed worried about Harry, when I talked to him this morning," Mrs. Weasley added.

"'Course he's worried, the boy's seeing from inside You-Know-Who's snake…Obviously, Potter, doesn't understand what this means, but if You-Know-Who possesses him-." Moody broke off.

Iris was staring at Harry as he pulled the extendable ear out of his ear. She saw everyone else doing the same thing, except their faces showed fearful looks.

They all boarded the train to go back to Grimmauld Place. Iris looked over at Harry every once and a while and saw that he looked dreadfully pale and sick looking.

Once back at Grimmauld Place, it was almost time for bed. Iris headed upstairs to wash up and then changed into her night clothes and slipped into bed.

The next morning, Mrs. Weasley had them all putting up Christmas decorations. Iris noticed that even Sirius was in a good mood; he was singing carols at the top of his lungs as Iris watched him hanging tinsel on the stair banisters.

Later that night, the doorbell rang. Hermione had come with her trunk and skipped out on going skiing with her parents. Iris couldn't help but wonder why she would want to spend less time with them but then scolded herself for thinking it; she was only feeling jealous.


	73. Chapter 73

Christmas Day was just as eventful as the last week. Iris had been given a hand-knitted scarf from Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, a Skiving Snackbox from the twins along with a surprise wake-up kiss from George. She also received a dead mouse from Flute, who delivered it graciously to her bed side before she woke up.

For the next trip to St. Mungo's, Iris stayed behind to clean up the decorations from Christmas the old way; by hand. Sirius helped her reach the silver and gold streamers. Neither one of them talked until Sirius broke the silence.

"Thank you for staying behind and helping, Iris," he said stepping off the ladder he was on.

"Oh, you're welcome," Iris smiled at him. She walked over to the portraits with tinsel still on them.

Iris could feel Sirius's eyes on her, she glanced at him and smiled out of awkwardness of the moment, "What?"

"Oh, it's just that you remind me of someone I knew a long time ago, that's all," he said reminiscently.

"Who?" she asked.

"Just an old friend," he said distantly, "Lily."

"What was she like, this Lily?" Iris asked innocently.

"Lily was an extraordinary witch. She was brilliant, really. She was unfavorably kind and fair."

"She sounds perfect," Iris whispered to herself but Sirius heard her anyway.

"She was very close, I have to admit," he chuckled, "She eventually married my best friend, James, Harry's father."

Iris was hit with a feeling of guilt, "She's dead…isn't she?"

"She nobly gave her life to save Harry. They both did." Sirius said somberly.

"I'm sorry for asking," she said sincerely.

"Oh, you don't have to feel sorry. Some one would have eventually said something about it," he said, watching her for a few more moments, then he turned to continue taking down decorations.

It was the day of the departure back to Hogwarts. Tonks and Lupin had arrived to take escort them all back to Hogwarts, by way of the Knight Bus.

They were all shunted out of the door of twelve Grimmauld Place as the door slammed shut behind them.

Lupin descended the steps and held out his wand as a triple-decker bus approached.

"Come on the quicker we get on the bus the better," Tonks said. She was dressed as an old woman with silver hair.

Iris boarder the bus and noticed that there were chairs half-hazardously placed around the buses windows; she could hear Tonks say, "Looks like we'll have to split up. Fred, George and Ginny, if you just take those seats at the back…Remus can stay with you…"

Iris followed Tonks, Harry, Ron and Hermione towards the front of the bus. Flute was hooting furiously, trying to get out of his cage.

Iris opened the cage door as soon as she sat down and the tiny owl flew violently from the cage.

BANG! The bus jolted forward and Iris, along with everyone else, was thrown backwards. Flute had been sitting on a bar above Iris and was knocked off balance and zoomed back through the air.

Iris watched as he streaked to the other end of the bus. She jumped from her seat to catch the owl but missed. Everyone looked at the helpless bird wiz past them but to Iris surprise and delight, Lupin caught him.

Iris let out a huge sigh of relief, "I think I will just hold him until we get there, alright?" Lupin told her as she sat back down in the skewed seat.

It was only a few minutes or so before the bus stopped again, throwing them all forward.

Hogsmeade was filled with fresh snow falling from the dark gray sky. Iris made her way with her luggage and empty owl cage off the ramshackle bus.

Tonks and Lupin helped them all off and bade them good-bye. Lupin handed Flute back to Iris, "Take care of him, alright?" he said as he turned to help Hermione with her luggage.

Iris turned and watched them all go, along with the Knight Bus. She turned back towards the castle that stood looming in the near distance.

Iris trudged through the snow with her trunk and Flute, who was put comfortably back in his cage.

Classes resumed in the normal fashion the next day and Iris was ambushed with essays and O.W.L. preparations.

The next D.A. meeting was nowhere in sight as many members made attempts to stop Harry in between classes to ask.

Iris was sitting in the common room watching the spectacle that was Fred and George.

"Headless hats!" George shouted to the laughing crowd surrounding them. The hats were pointed and pink with a long feather sticking out of the side, "Two Galleons each-watch Fred, now!"

Fred plopped the all pink hat on his head, looking rather ridiculous. Then his head and the hat disappeared completely. Many girls screamed while everyone else laughed hysterically.

Even Iris had to admit that the hats were clever. She smiled as George winked at her.

The next morning Flute had delivered the _Daily Prophet_ that she had started getting daily. Iris let him perch on her shoulder as she fed him some toast from her plate.

She screamed in shock and her hands flew up to her mouth as she read the front page headline, '_Mass Breakout from Azkaban Ministry Fears Black Is "Rallying Point" For Old Death Eaters.'_ Flute was spooked by the sudden noise and hooted his surprise and flew off; crumbs trailing behind him.

Everyone at the surrounding tables in the Great Hall was staring at her, including the teachers at the Staff table.

Iris looked around her, embarrassed. "What?" George whispered as she uncovered her mouth with her hand.

"Look at this," she said hastily, pushing the paper over to him.

"They can't be talking about…," George said aloud.

"Shhhhh!" Iris stopped him from saying anything by covering his mouth with her hand. People were still watching her.

Iris slowly removed her hand from his mouth, "Surely, they can't be talking about Sirius, can they? That is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard," George leaned in to whisper into her ear so that she was the only one that could hear.

"I don't know," Iris whispered to him.

Iris was walking to class when she saw Professor Sprout, Flitwick and McGonagall talking in hushed whispers until they saw students heading their way.

The morning after the news of the Azkaban breakout, there were new notices on the Gryffindor notice board. There was even a new decree; Educational Decree Number Twenty-Six.

'_Teachers are hereby banned from giving students any information that is not strictly related to the subjects they are paid to teach.'_

The new decree had become a new joke between students. Lee Jordan had smart mouthed his way into detention with Umbridge when he told her that she had no right telling Fred and George off for playing Exploding Snap in the back of class. The next time Iris saw him, his hand was bleeding.

All of her Divinations and Care of Magical Creatures classes had been supervised by Umbridge, since both, Trelawney and Hagrid had been put on probation.

D.A. meetings had become more frequent and more complicated. Neville seemed to be forever working harder to learn all of the jinxes and counter-jinxes.

Along with all of the extra homework and staying up all night finishing it, Iris was exhausted. Her exhaustion was causing her to spend less and less time with George and more and more time falling asleep in class, which was in turn causing her grades to slip.


	74. Chapter 74

Iris felt that she should make up lost time with George by going to Hogsmeade for Valentines Day.

They both went to a small tavern, Madam Puddifoot's, which was swallowed by Valentines decorations. Pink, red and white streamers hung from everywhere.

Iris wasn't expecting it be completely full except for a few empty booths. Everyone there were couples, holding hands. As George and Iris took an empty seat, a gold cherub flew overhead, throwing pink confetti into the air.

George had slid into the booth beside her, placing his arms around her shoulder and pulling her close.

"I've missed you" George whispered in her ear.

Iris smiled at his words, "I've missed you too. I've just been so busy balancing homework and the D.A."

"It's okay; you aren't the only one that's taking a hit from it all. It seems like everyone is."

"Well…that's reassuring," Iris joked.

They both ordered hot chocolate with whipped cream. George took a sip and was brandishing a white foamy moustache.

Iris couldn't help but laugh at the sight of him and how ridiculous he looked, "What's so funny?" he smirked.

"You have a whipped cream moustache and it's quite befitting on you, by the way," Iris stifled her laughter long enough to say.

"Oh really?" he said smiling through the dissolving moustache.

"Here. Let me get that for you," she smirked as she kissed him deeply. She placed her hands on his chest as he cupped her face in his hands.

Iris loved the feel of him holding her; it always felt safe and perfect. They sat there in the booth, snogging until someone opened the door, letting in the cold air.

A shiver ran up her back and they broke apart, smiling bashfully at each other, "Is it gone?" George asked facetiously turning back to Iris, kissing her again softly.

Iris pushed him playfully as she saw Harry and Cho sit down in a booth together, "Ooh, I wonder what they're doing here?" George said in a fake gossipy voice.

They both watched them for many long moments whispering things to each other and taking sips from their cups. Iris tilted her head onto George's shoulder and continued to watch the interaction between Cho and Harry.

Before too long, Cho started crying. "I thought you'd understood! I need to talk about it! Surely you need you talk about it too! I mean. You saw it happen, didn't you?"

Harry whispered something that Iris couldn't quite make out, but got the hint, "Oh, you'll talk to Hermione Granger! But you won't talk to me! Perhaps it would be best if we just…paid and you meet up with Hermione Granger, like you obviously want to!" Cho hiccupped.

Harry looked terribly embarrassed as more kissing couples broke apart to ogle at them, "Cho?" he whispered meekly.

"Go on, leave! I don't know why you ask me out in the first place if you're going to make arrangements to see other girls right after me…How many are you meeting after Hermione?" she demanded through her heavy tears.

"It's not like that!" Harry must have just realized why she was so upset about because he laughed, causing Cho to spring up from the table, napkin in hand, dabbing at her eyes.

"I'll see you around, Harry," Cho hiccupped again as she wrenched the door open and ran out. Harry threw down a galleon for their drinks and followed suit.

Everyone watched the door close behind them for a few minutes longer then return to their conversations that all included what just happened.

"Tough break," George said, still staring at the unmoving door.

"You don't say," Iris replied, also staring at the door.

The first Quidditch match since George, Fred and Harry were banned was an abomination. Ron had missed fourteen saves, Sloper, who took position as beater, had hit Angelina in the mouth with the beaters bat, and Kirke had fallen off his broom. The only good thing was that Ginny had caught the Snitch, ending the game after twenty-two minutes of torture. The final score was one hundred-twenty to one hundred-thirty, with Hufflepuff coming out victorious.

The next morning at breakfast, Iris noticed that a lot of the students were reading a new issue of '_The Quibbler.'_

Fred was reading it when she joined them. Harry was opening some mail that he had received from a flock of post owls. Fred had tossed the magazine aside and was now helping him open the growing pile of letters.

Iris read the headline of the article he had been reading, 'Harry Potter Speaks Out At Last: The Truth About He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named And The Night I Saw Him Return.'

"What is going on here?" Iris looked up to find Umbridge standing behind Luna and Fred, "Why have you got all these letters, Mr. Potter?"

"Is that a crime, now? Getting mail?" Fred asked loudly. Iris turned to him and gave him a stern warning look.

"Be careful, Mr. Weasley, or I shall have to put you in detention," Umbridge glared at him, "Well, Mr. Potter?"

"People have written to me because I gave an interview, about what happened to me last June." Harry answered truthfully.

"An interview? What do you mean?" her voice was high and shrill with anxiety.

"I mean a reporter asked me questions and I answered them. Here-," Harry passed the issue of '_The Quibbler'_ to Umbridge.

"When did you do this?" she demanded as her voice quavered.

"Last Hogsmeade weekend," Harry told her plainly.

"There will be no more Hogsmeade trips for you, Mr. Potter. How you dare…how you could…" her voice was filled with rage and disgust, "I have tried again and again to teach you not to tell lies. The message, apparently, has still not sunk in. Fifty points from Gryffindor and another week's worth of detentions." She stalked off with the magazine clutched in her tightened fist.

By the time Iris had headed up to class, there were clusters of signs all over the school reading: Educational Decree Number Twenty-Seven.

'_Any student found in possession of the magazine, 'The Quibbler,' will be expelled.' _

Iris couldn't help but be amused by the desperation of Professor Umbridge regarding the entire situation.

By the end of the day, Fred and George had used an Enlargement Charm on the cover of the issue of the now banned _Quibbler_. They had also place a charm to make it talk but it eventually wore off.

It was Saturday afternoon and Iris was heading to the Great Hall but saw mobs students gathering in the courtyard.

She pushed her way through to see what was happening. Iris saw Professor Trelawney standing in the middle of the crowd; her luggage at her feet. Umbridge was facing her, holding a piece of parchment.

There was complete and utter silence as she Professor Trelawney whimpered, "Sixteen years, I've lived and worked here! Hogwarts is my home! You can't do this!"

"Actually, I can," Umbridge held out the parchment she was holding. Iris watched as McGonagall had rushed over to comfort Trelawney, who was now in hysterics.

"Is there something you would like to say, dear?" she directed the question at McGonagall.

"There are several things I'd like to say," snapped McGonagall.

Iris had almost not noticed Dumbledore come through the opened castle doors, "Professor McGonagall, may I ask you to please escort Sybill back inside?"

McGonagall took Trelawney by the shoulder and brought her and her luggage back into the castle.

"Dumbledore, may I remind you that under the terms of Educational Decree Number Twenty-Three, as enacted by the Minister...," She said cautiously.

"You have the right to dismiss my teachers. You do not, however, have the authority to banish them from the grounds. That power remains with the headmaster," retorted Dumbledore.

"For now…," Umbridge said with great satisfaction.

The look on Dumbledore's face changed to that of incredulous worry. The change in expression lasted only a moment and then changed back to slight anger.

He watched Umbridge for a second longer then turned on his heels, "Don't you all have studying to do?" he barked as he stalked back through the castle doors.

The crowd of students had slowly but surely dispersed. Everyone seemed to be muttering about the situation.

The next Divinations class was moved downstairs in a vacant classroom. As Iris stepped through the doorway she saw a gorgeous palomino centaur. Everyone who entered the class after her stopped dead at the sight of him. The classroom had been transfigured into a moss covered forest.

The way Firenze taught was completely different from Professor Trelawney's teaching. He had concluded the lesson by telling them that they should never put too much faith into such things as Divinations.


	75. Chapter 75

March had changed into April and the weather was improving dramatically. The sun shone itself, warming the damp air.

All of the teacher's had kept reminding them that O.W.L.'s were closing approaching.

The D.A. was the only way that Iris was going to pass her Defense Against the Dark Arts exam; they had finally started Patronuses.

"Alright, so the incantation is '_Expecto Patronum_.' But for it to work, you have to think of a happy memory," Harry instructed them.

Iris was trying to think of a memory and landed upon the one of George and her, after the Yule Ball, when they had fallen asleep together on the couch in the common room.

"Expecto Patronum!" Iris muttered. As she said it an enormous creature burst from the tip of her wand. She could clearly distinguish antlers the size of a full grown person and it was much larger than a car.

A spectacular moose stood in front of her. She watched as it walked across the room and everyone in the room gasped with amazement.

Everyone's eyes followed the animal as it started to gallop through the room and into the air.

"Excellent, Iris, really excellent!" She could hear Harry's astonished shouts from across the room, "Now everyone else, give it a go!"

Silver Patronuses started erupting from everyone's wand. Iris looked around as hers was now trying to sharpen its antlers on the half pillars jutting out from the wall.

She saw that Hermione's was a gamboling otter; Ron was trying to control a struggling Jack Russell Terrier as it tried to chase Hermione's otter. Cho had an elegant radiating swan that swooped around above their heads.

Iris looked over at Fred and George. She saw two, distinctly different yet inevitably alike, weasels wrestling each other through the air.

Luna's hare had sprinted overhead but disappeared into a wisp of silver. Iris found her own Patronus fading, along with the memory.

Dobby, the house-elf, had made his way into the room, "Hi, Dobby, what are you -what's wrong?" Harry asked urgently.

The elf's eyes were the size of saucers and he was shaking violently, "Harry Potter, sir…Dobby has come to warn you…but the house-elves have been warned not to tell…"

The elf ran headfirst into the nearest wall. Iris jumped in surprise as he tried to deliberately hurt himself.

'What's happened, Dobby?" he demanded as he grabbed his arms, preventing him from causing himself anymore harm.

"Harry Potter…she…she…," he squeaked in fright.

"Who's 'she,' Dobby?" he asked again. Realization dawned on his face, "Umbridge?" he said horror struck, "What about her? Dobby-she hasn't found out about this-about us-about the D.A.?"

He looked into the elf's fear stricken face, "Is she coming?"

Dobby let out a great sob, "Yes, Harry Potter, yes!"

Harry stood up straight, looking at all of them, "WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? RUN!" he bellowed.

Everyone ran for the exit and scampered out of sight. Fred and George had caught up with Iris, who was sprinting for the common room; their footfalls echoing off the stone walls.

Fred had heard people approaching that Iris hadn't. He pulled her towards the direction of the library; George followed closely behind.

It had seemed that most of the D.A. had the same idea. None of them would have made it to their common rooms without being caught.

He dragged her towards the back of the library where it was darker. Iris was breathing hard and there was a stitch in her side as she tried to slow her breathing.

They had all waited for over half an hour, waiting for some sign that it was safe to leave their hiding places.

Iris could feel the fake Galleon in her pocket burn hot. She took it out and it was the signal that it was safe.

Everyone had cautiously headed back to their common rooms hastily. Iris was the first to leave the library with Fred and George in tow.


	76. Chapter 76

Almost overnight a new decree was made. '_Dolores Jane Umbridge (High Inquisitor) has replaced Albus Dumbledore as Headmaster_ _of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.'_

Draco had come up to Gryffindor table that morning, finding reasons to dock points from them. Iris looked up at the monumental hourglasses that kept track of house points.

"Noticed, have you?" Fred said from behind her. The twins seated themselves on either side of Iris as more red jewels had been sucked back into the top half of the glass.

"Malfoy, just about docked each of us fifty points," Harry said indignantly.

"Yeah, Montague, tried to do us during break," George stated.

"What do you mean 'tried'?" Ron asked him.

"Well, he never managed to get all the words out, due to the fact that we forced him headfirst into the Vanishing Cabinet on the first floor," Fred said plainly.

"But you'll get in terrible trouble!" shouted Hermione.

"Not until Montague reappears and that could take weeks, I dunno where we sent him. Anyway…we've decided we don't care about getting into trouble anymore." Fred added.

"When have you ever?" Iris interjected sarcastically.

"'Course we have. Never been expelled, have we?" He smiled cheekily at her.

"We've always known where to draw the line," Fred told them all.

"We might have put a toe across it occasionally," George said placing his hand high on Iris's thigh, squeezing it occasionally. She placed her hand atop his.

"But we've always stopped short of causing real mayhem," Fred joyfully said.

"But now-?" Ron asked prudently.

Fred and George exchanged looks, "Well, now-," George started excitedly.

"-what with Dumbledore gone-," Fred continued.

"-we reckon a bit of mayhem-," George helped.

"-is exactly what our dear new Head deserves," Fred finished.

"You mustn't!" Hermione shrieked, "You really mustn't! She'd love a reason to expel you!"

"You don't get it, Hermione, do you? We don't care about staying anymore. We'd walk out right now if we weren't determined to do our bit for Dumbledore first. So anyway," Fred checked his watch to see the current time, "Phase one is about to begin. You might want to stay in here, that way teachers will see you can't have had anything to do with it."

Iris couldn't help but feel a most unpleasant lurch in her stomach as Fred told them that they were leaving. She tightened her grip on George's hand that was on her thigh, as Fred said this.

"Anything to do with what?" Hermione asked anxiously.

"You'll see," George said, getting up to leave the table.

His hand slipped from Iris's grip as he and Fred walked away from the table. She couldn't help but feel that this wasn't what she wanted.

As they all waited for the first phase, Filch approached them, "The headmistress would like to see you, Potter."

"I didn't do it," Harry said hastily.

"Guilty conscience, eh? Follow me," Harry reluctantly followed Filch.

Iris was left at the table with Ron and Hermione but she didn't talk to them. She could feel their eyes on her; they seemed to be concerned for some reason.

Iris turned away from them and got up from the table. Their eyes seemed to follow her all the way out of the Great Hall.

She didn't know where she was going but decided to go to the girl's bathroom. She banged her fist on the wall of the heavily stoned bathroom. Iris couldn't decide what she was madder at, the fact that George hadn't told her of his plans or that he was going to leave.

But in the end she knew it was inevitable. He was bound to leave the school by the end of the year but she wasn't ready for him to leave sooner.

BOOM! The bathroom shook fiercely. Iris had to grab onto one of the sink to steady herself from falling to the water soaked floor.

Iris made her way to the door and wrenched it open to see students running and screaming through the corridors.

BOOM! The walls shook, causing dust to fall from the high ceilings. When the dust cleared, Iris could clearly see fireworks zooming through the air.

Dragons passed by her head in a brilliant emerald green light as giant ominous bats of vibrant violet streamed through the dusty air.

Everyone in the hall was screaming with fright and delight. Sparklers were scribbling swears in mid-air.

Iris dodged numerous firecrackers as the whizzed overhead. The racket grew even more enormous as she headed up the marble stairs.

On the floors above the mayhem that Fred and George had promised was more magnificent.

A fiery dragon almost ran into her, rearing its head, but she was pulled away just in time. Iris could feel fabric brush against her face as she was ripped away from the hall.

She could hear the silent laughter of Fred and George behind the heavy tapestry. She turned to them; she couldn't help but smile at their success, "Impressive."

""Oh, I hope she tries Vanishing them next…they multiply by ten every time you try…," George was wiping away tears of laughter from Umbridge's vain attempts.

Iris joined them in laughing at Umbridge's attempts to rid the school of the pyrotechnics'.

None of the teachers' seemed to want to help Umbridge in trying to vanquish the fireworks that were flying around the classrooms during the days lessons.

"Dear, dear, Miss Brown, would you mind running along to the headmistress and informing her that we have an escaped firework in our classroom?" McGonagall said as she watched the dragon emitting flames as it soared over the class.

In Charms, after the bell rang, Professor Flitwick called to Umbridge, who was soot covered and hobbling out of the room, "Thank you so much, Professor! I could have gotten rid of the sparklers myself, of course, but I wasn't sure whether I had the authority…"

Back in the common room, they were all celebrating for the spectacular show put on by Fred and George. Iris had to push her way through everyone to get to them. Iris was bombarded by a tight embrace from both Fred and George.

George squeezed her so tight that she couldn't breath. Once she caught her breathe, Iris kissed him on the cheeks, "Congratulations." She headed up for bed but not before he pulled her back and kissed her again, this time more deeply and sensual.

Iris could hear the roar of cheers from the people around them. Fred wolf-whistled at them and Iris could feel George smile as they broke apart.

Once Iris had made her way up to bed she could still hear the distant explosions of the firecrackers. She fell asleep to the sound of Flute, hooting quietly.

Iris was suddenly thrown back into her fourth year. George was pulling her into the entrance hall. She could faintly hear herself screaming, "George, let go of me-George, stop-what do you think you're doing-let go of…" her voice was cut of as George turned around, only it wasn't George who she saw.

In his place was a pale face that closely resembled that of a snake with violent, cold red eyes. It leaned into kiss her as George had done. Iris struggled but his long pallid fingers wrapped tighter around her wrist, cutting into her skin.

Iris wrenched her hand away out of his grip and ran as the snake laughed shrilly at her. She ran out the door to the courtyard. She stopped short when there were hooded figures surrounding her only way out.

The ashen snake came up behind her, whispering in something that sounded like hissing. She made to draw her wand but it wasn't in her robes. Filled with panic, Iris made to look for another exit but the hooded shadows closed in on her.

The serpent-like man brandished his wand; still laughing. Iris closed her eyes as she saw inevitable green flash emit from the wand.

Iris woke up screaming and in a cold sweat. Everyone in the dormitory had sat straight up in their beds at the sound. Iris hadn't realized she was screaming until she saw Hermione standing at the end of her bed.

"Iris? What's wrong?" she sounded immensely worried.

Iris looked at her through the dim moon light coming through the window, "Bad dream, that's all." Iris told her truthfully, "I'm sorry for waking you all."

They all went back to bed, slowly but surely; Iris was the last to get back to sleep. She was trying to dissuade sleep for as long as she could, in hopes of not having another dream.


	77. Chapter 77

The next morning, Iris saw Hermione talking to George in urgent whispers. They broke apart when they spotted her coming down the stairs to the dormitory. Iris knew they must have been talking about her.

George walked forward and hugged her close to him, "Good morning." Iris just stood there, unmoving, as he embraced her. She almost felt like she didn't want to be touched.

She slid out of his arms and didn't look at him; she felt dirty. "Iris? What's wrong?" All she could think about was the pale figure that kissed her in her dream.

"I'm sorry, George. I'm just not feeling well," she half lied.

"Hermione told me that you had been screaming in your sleep all night," he whispered to her.

"It was just a bad dream, that's all," Iris hoped that he would leave it at that but he didn't.

"You're beginning to sound a lot like Harry. What was it about?" he asked curiously; a worried look crossing his face.

"It wasn't about anything in particular," Iris lied again. She hated not telling him the truth, but was scared of what he would say.

"Well, you gave everyone a right good scare last night," he added, taking her hand.

"I don't want to really talk about it, okay," she said, looking up at him for the first time.

"Alright," he said pulling her into another hug. This time Iris wrapped her arms around him.

Over the next few days, Iris settled herself into a stack of books from the library. O.W.L.'s were approaching even sooner and she wasn't nearly prepared for them.

As she was walking through the common room she passed the notice board that read, '_Career Advice: All fifth years will be required to attend a short meeting with their Head of House during the first week of Summer term, in which they will be given the opportunity to discuss their future careers. Times of individual appointments are listed below.'_

Iris looked at the top of the list and scrolled downward until she came upon her name. She was supposed to meet with McGonagall this Monday at half-past four.

Iris spent the rest of her Easter Holiday reading the career pamphlets that appeared in the common room.

She picked one up that read: '_Have you got what it takes to train security trolls?' _Iris couldn't find anything that looked remotely interesting except for an Auror.

Harry, Ron and Hermione were also looking through them. Fred and George appeared behind them, "Hey, Ginny's had a word with us about you. She says you need to talk to Sirius?" Fred said Sirius's name in hushed tones.

George had indicated for Iris to stand up. As she did he sat down in her armchair, pulling her down onto his lap.

Fred had put his feet up on the table causing leaflets to fall to the floor, "What?" Hermione said harshly.

"Yeah…yeah, I thought I'd like-," Harry began.

"Don't be so ridiculous, with Umbridge groping around in fires and frisking all the owls?" she snapped.

"Well, we think we can find a way around that. It's a simple matter of causing a diversion. Now, you might have noticed that we have been rather quiet on the mayhem front during the Easter holiday?" George smiled and stretched his arms over his head.

"What was the point, we asked ourselves, disrupting leisure time? No point at all, we answered ourselves. And of course we'd have messed up people's studying too, which would have been the last thing we'd want to do." Iris looked at Fred oddly. It was strange of him to be so thoughtful, "But it's business as usual from tomorrow. And if we're going to be causing a bit of an uproar, why not do it so that Harry can have his chat with Sirius?"

"Yes, but still, even if you do cause a diversion, how is Harry supposed to talk to him?" Hermione badgered them.

"Umbridge's office," Harry told her quietly.

"Are-you-insane?" She whispered sharply.

"I don't think so," he shrugged.

"And how are you going to get in there in the first place?"

"Sirius's knife," Harry said quickly. Apparently he had been planning this for a long time.

"Excuse me?"

"Christmas before last Sirius gave me a knife that'll open any lock. So even if she's bewitched the door so that _Alohomora_ won't work, which I bet she has-."

"What do you think about this?" Hermione asked Ron in a tone that reminded her of Mrs. Weasley.

"I dunno. If Harry wants to do it, it's up to him, isn't it?" Ron looked alarmed at the sudden question.

"Spoken like a true friend and Weasley. Right, then. We're thinking of doing it tomorrow just after lessons, because it should cause maximum impact if everybody's in the corridors-Harry, we'll set it off in the east wing somewhere, draw her right away from her office-I reckon we should be able to guarantee you, what, twenty minutes?" Fred said looking over at George for his approval.

"Easy," George said approving.

"What sort of diversion is it?" Ron asked interestedly.

"You'll see," Fred made to stand up as George patted Iris's thigh, indicating that he needed to get up also, "At least, you will if you trot along to Gregory the Smarmy's corridor round about five o'clock tomorrow."

At half past four the next day, Iris headed for Professor McGonagall's office. As soon as Iris entered the room she could instantly tell that someone else was in the room with them.

"Miss Blackthorne, please, sit," McGonagall said crisply, "This meeting is to help determine what classes you should continue during you sixth and seventh year."

There was a distinct scratching noise coming from the corner of the room Iris looked over towards the source only to find Umbridge scribbling away on her familiar clipboard.

"Have you given any though as to what you want to do once you leave Hogwarts?" Professor McGonagall asked.

"I was thinking of an Auror," Iris confessed.

"It seems to be a popular choice amongst you Gryffindors," she breathed as she rummaged through a series of pamphlets and leaflets.

"You will need a minimum of five N.E.W.T.s, and nothing under 'Exceeds Expectations.' You will have to undergo aptitude and character tests. They only take the best; no one has been accepted in the past few years."

Umbridge gave a slight cough, but McGonagall continued anyway, "You will need to continue Defense Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, Charms and Potions," she seemed to put a certain emphasis on Potions.

Umbridge coughed again, obviously trying to be noticed, "Professor McGonagall, do you really think that Miss Blackthorne, here, has the temperament for the job; especially after Mr. Potter's, the Weasley boy's and her attack on Mr. Malfoy?"

Iris noticed a nasty inflection in her voice as she said 'Weasley.' Iris could feel her self getting red in the face but didn't do anything because she knew that was what Umbridge wanted.

"I think that, Miss Blackthorne, will fare just fine, Dolores," McGonagall's words were sharp and quick, like a knife.

"Well-you might also like to know that her grades have been dramatically slipping in all of her classes, Minerva," Umbridge snapped indignantly.

"And I assure you that her grades will not effect her examinations. She is a bright student that will do well in whatever she wants," Iris couldn't understand how her slipping grades wouldn't affect her O.W.L.'s, but didn't say anything.

McGonagall and Umbridge were glowering at each other. Without breaking eye contact McGonagall spoke, "I think that will do Miss Blackthorne, you may return to class now."

Iris got up from the chair and left before a vicious cat fight broke out. On her way back to class, the bell rang, ending lessons for the day. Iris ran up to the corridor that held the tapestry of Gregory the Smarmy.

Iris could see the twins at the other end of the hall, ready to set off their diversion. Students that were mid-way through exiting classrooms started to scream as the corridor turned rapidly into a swamp.

Iris ran across the now feverishly growing marsh. She reached the other end of the corridor before it was engulfed in vegetation and murky water.

She couldn't stop her self before running smack into Fred, who was knocked backwards.

Iris landed on top of him, but rolled off, "I am so sorry," she told him as George hoisted her back onto her feet.

Fred got up on his own, "No worries. It wouldn't be the first time I've been swept off my feet by a girl," he smirked as he brushed the dirt off his robes.

"Well, I think we're done here," George told them, rubbing his hands together. They all made their way down to the entrance hall only to be crowded by students, teachers and above all, Umbridge.

Iris couldn't help but feel like they had been cornered and were about to be in big trouble.

Umbridge had been standing on the marble stairs, slowly making her way closer. George groped for Iris's hand, holding on tightly.

"So…you think it's amusing to turn a school corridor into a swamp, do you?" Her wand was shaking in her hand menacingly.

"Pretty amusing, yeah," Fred said daringly. Everyone was silent as they watched this exchange.

"I've got the form, Headmistress I've got the form and the whips waiting…Oh, let me do it now…" Iris saw Filch struggling to get through the thick mob of onlookers. Iris fidgeted at the mention of whips.

"Very good, Argus. You two are about to learn what happens to wrongdoers in my school." Umbridge had an expression of deep satisfaction on her wrinkled toad-like face.

"You know what? I don't think we are," Fred said matter-of-factly, turning to George. "George, I think we've outgrown full-time education?"

"Yeah, I've been feeling the same way myself," he said airily.

"Time to test our talents in the real world d'you reckon?" Fred asked.

"Definitely," George said drawing his wand from his robes.

"_Accio Brooms!_" they both said in unison before Umbridge could even utter a single word.

Iris heard a loud crashed from somewhere up above. She watched as two brooms had came soaring through the air, hovering in mid-air in front of Fred and George.

George turned to her, "Iris, come with us," she couldn't believe what she was hearing.

She wanted to desperately with them but decided against her better judgment, "George, you know I can't."

"What do you mean you can't? Just come with us," his look of happiness seemed to falter slightly.

"You know why I can't. You go," Iris kissed him on the cheek and withdrew her hand, moving slowly back towards the crowd of students. George's look of mild disappointment faded as he turned to look at Fred.

"We won't be seeing you," Fred said as he mounted his broom.

"Yeah, don't bother to keep in touch," George said, mounting his.

"If anyone fancies buying a PortableSwamp, as demonstrated upstairs, come to number ninety-three, Diagon Alley-Weasley Wizard Wheezes. Our new premises!" Fred said loudly.

"Special discounts to Hogwarts students who swear they're going to use our products to get rid of this old bat!" George said, pointing directly to Umbridge, who seemed to be ready to explode.

"STOP THEM!" she screamed at the top of her voice. The Inquisitorial Squad lunged for them but were too late to catch them. Both kicked off on their brooms and shot up from the ground, high into the air.

Iris saw Fred look over at Peeves the Poltergeist, "Give her hell for us, Peeves." Peeves, who never took orders from anyone except for Dumbledore, tipped his hat to them as they burst through the front doors.

Iris watched until she couldn't see them any longer. She was hit with a pang of regret; she felt that she should have gone with them.

The sun was setting as Iris made her way back up to the common room before Umbridge could find her to issue punishment for being in the right place at the wrong time with Fred and George.


	78. Chapter 78

Over the next few weeks, there were plenty of attempts to become the new troublemakers of the school.

Stinkpellets and Dungbombs had been dropped so frequently in the corridors that Iris had seen many people walking around with Bubble-Head Charms; that they had preformed on themselves for fresh air in between classes.

She also enjoyed watching Umbridge and Filch's vain attempts to vanish the swamp. Iris also figured that the teachers liked watching her struggle because none of them offered any help.

Peeves had taken Fred's last words to the extreme. On many occasions he had popped out of blackboards, locked Mrs. Norris in suits of armor, and dropped boxes of tarantulas in the Great Hall during meals. He had also liked to follow Umbridge around, blowing raspberries when she started to talk.

The last Quidditch match of the season was between Ravenclaw and Gryffindor at the end of May.

Luna came through the stands wearing a large eagle on her head, evidently to support Ravenclaw.

Iris already knew the outcome of the game before it started but was pleasantly surprised when Gryffindor had come out victoriously. The Gryffindors had created a new version of 'Weasley is Our King.'

_Weasley is our King,_

_Weasley is our King,_

_He didn't let the Quaffle in_

_Weasley is our King._

_Weasley can save anything,_

_He never leaves a single ring,_

_That's why Gryffindors all sing:_

_Weasley is our King._

The entirety of next the week was devoted to studying for O.W.L.s. Iris was desperately trying to improve her grades, just to show Umbridge that she could.

Theory of Charms was Monday morning. Iris lay on the armchair that she and George had frequently sat on together. Her legs draped over the arm as she was going through all of her Charms books rereading everything that was most important and was to be expected on the exam.

At dinner that night, Iris and Neville continued to study but her attention was drawn up to Umbridge, guiding a gander of elderly looking witches and wizards that must have been the examiners for their O.W.L.s.

The rest of the night was slow and studious. Everyone in the common room was trying to study with little success. Iris headed up to bed early, soon after Harry.

No one seemed willing to talk out of nervousness for the upcoming exam. The only though that crossed Iris's mind was that she wouldn't have been as nervous if Fred and George had been there to reassure her that it wasn't anything to worry about.

As the bell rang, the fifth and seventh years waited in the entrance hall while the others left for their usual lessons.

The doors to the Great Hall reopened and they all entered to find that the long tables had been pushed to the edge of the room. They were replaced by many desks that seated only one.

Iris sat down in the middle of the mass of desks, "You may begin," McGonagall's voice echoed through the hall as she turned over a large hourglass.

Iris read the first question, '_a) give the incantation and b) describe the wand movement used to make objects fly._' Iris scribbled down her answer and moved onto the next question.

By the end of the time allotted, Iris felt that she had done as best she could. All of the students had eaten lunch together before the fifth and sixth years had their practical exam. Iris was called into the Great Hall with the second group of students.

She was shaking violently and her teeth were chattering. She walked forward to Professor Marchbanks, who was the only free examiner at the moment.

Iris drew her wand and was holding it so tight that she thought it might snap, "Miss, Blackthorne is it?"

"Yes," Iris couldn't help but say meekly.

"Now, will you would make this eggcup perform some cartwheels for me, please?" Marchbanks asked loudly.

She had altogether had done a better job than she expected, "Very good, thank you."

Iris left the Great Hall feeling immensely relieved. She headed back upstairs to the common room for more studying.

Iris wasn't as worried for Transfigurations as she was Charms. Iris managed to completely vanish her ferret the next day during her practical.

Herbology was another story completely. She knew the basics but couldn't give the specific details of everything that she had learned. Iris could tell that Neville was going to get an 'O' on his exam.

Defense Against the Dark Arts was the easiest exam by far, thanks to the D.A. and Harry teaching them.

The examiner, Professor Tofty had even asked her if she could produce a Patronus for an extra bonus point. She did what was asked of her and the magnificent moose that was hers, issued from the tip of her wand.

"Spectacular! I think that will be all Miss Blackthorne," Tofty told her as she turned and left the hall.

Iris had her next exam on Monday and had Friday off. She spent the weekend doing some light studying for Potions.

The exam came faster than she would have liked. She felt she had preformed exceptionally well on the written and practical parts of the exam.

Care of Magical Creatures was one of the more simple exams as the practical only asked them to identify a knarls from a pile of hedgehogs', correctly handle a Bowtruckle, feed and clean a Firecrab without being seriously burned, and choose the diet that would be given to a sick unicorn.

The Astronomy exam on Wednesday morning was fine. Iris felt that she might have gotten all of Jupiter's moons' names correct. Since the practical wouldn't be until midnight, they had all taken the Divinations exam instead.

Iris couldn't help but do abysmally. She was never any good at Divinations anyway, but thought that she would definitely have failed.

Iris headed up to the Astronomy tower for her practical exam. She seated herself at a table that was set up with a telescope. "You may begin," Professor Tofty said hoarsely and they all started to fill in their star charts.

Iris had just finished marking Mars on her chart when her attention was drawn away from it by Hermione, "No!" she shrieked.

Iris followed her gaze to find jets of red light flying from many shadowed figures. Hagrid had come out of his cabin and one of the many people shouted, "Be reasonable Hagrid!"

Iris heard Hagrid roar, "Reasonable be damned, yeh won' take me like this, Dawlish!" as hexes and stunning spells bounced off of him like he had a protective shield around him.

Fang, the bloodhound, who had been trying to defend Hagrid, had been hit with a stunning spell and he dropped to the ground. Hagrid relented a yell of anger and fury. He had picked up the person who had attacked the dog and threw him ten feet easily.

Iris along with many of the other girls in the class had shrieked with surprise. "Look!" Parvati had pointed to the light emitted from the front door of the castle as a shadowed figure had sprinted towards the brawl.

The figure had started shouting violently, "How dare you! How dare you!"

Iris could hear Hermione whisper, "It's McGonagall!"

"Leave him alone! Alone, I say! On what grounds are you attacking him? He has done nothing wrong, nothing to warrant-," McGonagall's yells had been cut off as four stunners had been shot at her.

Iris screamed as McGonagall flew to the ground and lay there unmoving. "Galloping gargoyles!" Professor Tofty bellowed from behind her, "Not so much as a warning! Outrageous behavior!"

Iris could hear Hagrid shouting, "COWARDS! RUDDY COWARDS! HAVE SOME O' THAT-AND THAT-," his voice carried through the entire castle and many lights had flickered back on inside. Hagrid had taken massive swings at Umbridge's men. He bent over to pick up Fang and ran for the Hogwarts gates.

"Get him, get him!" Umbridge was heard shouting but the only person standing didn't want to pursue him.

Having his attention drawn back to the exam, Professor Tofty announced, "Um…five minutes to go, everybody…"

Iris had lain awake all night thinking about what had just happened and about poor Professor McGonagall.

The next and final exam was History of Magic, yet another exam Iris was bound to do poorly on.

Towards the end of the written exam, Iris heard someone yell, and then a crash to the hard stone floor. Everyone in the Great Hall looked over to find Harry, on the ground.

Professor Tofty had helped him off of the floor and took him away from the Great Hall as Professor Marchbanks had tried to redirect all of their attention back to their unfinished exams.

Iris hadn't finished all of the questions before the time was up. She didn't care either because she wouldn't need it if she was to become an Auror.


	79. Chapter 79

Iris spent the rest of her time off to take a nap. She had been up studying for the past two weeks every night. Everyone else seemed to want to do the same thing.

Iris woke up late the next morning to find nothing had changed, except that it was still dark outside and no one else was asleep in their beds.

Iris descended the spiral stairs from the dormitory to find that she wasn't standing in the common room. She couldn't quite place where she was; she saw a long open atrium with a fountain that sat in dismay. The statues that had stood in the basin lay broken on the floor.

Iris moved forward, through the dust that was settling and saw a crowd of men surrounding Dumbledore and Harry. More people erupted through the fireplaces in a light of emerald green.

She pushed her way through the crowd; nobody had seemed to even notice her presence. Iris came to the front of the group and saw the Minister of Magic gawking at Dumbledore.

She watched them talking but couldn't hear them or read their lips. She soon became frustrated at this and made to try and wake herself up instead. She tried to slap herself, pinch herself and even closing her eyes.

Iris was having little success but saw Dumbledore give Harry a golden head of a dismembered statue. She watched as Harry disappeared from the site and Iris could feel herself being jerked backwards as if she were falling.

She shot up straight in her bed and felt herself to make sure that she was still all there. She sighed in relief when she opened her eyes to find the girl's dormitory with everyone except Hermione in their beds.

That morning, Iris received her issue of the _Daily Prophet_. The headline read: He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named Returns. All Iris could think was, 'about time'.

Flute had flown in with a letter. Iris looked for a return address but couldn't find one. Her name was written in semi-neat scrawl across the envelope.

She gave Flute her cup of pumpkin juice and scrapings of bacon. Iris cautiously opened the envelope.

She jumped with excitement when she saw that it was from George.

_Iris,_

_We heard about Umbridge and how she attacked Hagrid. Tell Harry that Hagrid is fine and that he made it away safe and that he should be back as soon as possible. It's too bad that McGonagall is in St. Mungo's. Umbridge is just a coward and she wouldn't dare curse McGonagall if it had been daylight out. Dumbledore was at the Ministry last night and Fudge saw You-Know-Who himself so now he has to face the truth of it all._

_I would have written earlier but business is booming here and we've had to restock the Extendable Ears and the Wildfire Wizbangs. Fred and I couldn't be happier right now. I think we were meant to do this. The only thing that is missing is you and everything would be perfect. I miss you._

_Love,_

_George_

_P.S. Fred says hi._

Iris felt a rush of fluttering butterflies as she read 'Love.' Her heart felt like it had melted. She reread the letter over and over again. Flute hooted, getting her attention. He was giving her a smug look as if he understood what she had just read.

Iris gave him a look that made him fly away. She got up from the table and was going to tell Harry that Hagrid was okay but stopped when she noticed McGonagall. She must have made a full recovery and was returning. She was talking to Professor Snape who had been about to take away points but noticed they hadn't any.

Slowly Iris watched the hourglass fill with points as McGonagall awarded Ron, Ginny, Hermione, Neville and Harry them fifty points each. A wide smile spread across Iris's face at this.

Once Snape and McGonagall had gone Iris rushed up to Harry, "Harry! George says that Hagrid is fine and that he's back!"

A smile made its way onto his face but soon disappeared, "Thanks, Iris," he left out the front door.

She wanted to write back to George but remembered that she had to go and pack for the trip back to King's Cross the next day.

Iris ran up the marble stairs to Gryffindor tower and up to the girl's dormitory. Everyone else was packing their things to.

Once on the train to leave, Iris sat in a car by herself. She took out some parchment and a quill. There was so many things that she wanted to tell him but a letter was never going to be able to convey that message.

She decided not to write one but instead let Flute out. He had been itching to deliver something so Iris let open the window of the moving train and he was gone in an instant.

Iris shook her head, smiling at how much Flute enjoyed his freedom; being locked up in his cage always put him in a foul mood.

She settled into her seat and pulled out the _Daily Prophet_ from earlier. Iris was speechless when she saw an article about Sirius, reporting that he had died. She took a deep breath and read on until the train docked in Kings Cross.

Flute must have been keeping an eye on the train for he came back just before Iris got up with her luggage to leave.

Once on the Platform, Iris started to make her way back to her life at the orphanage and her job at the Leaky Cauldron.

She crossed the barrier between Platform's nine and ten only to find Mad-Eye, Tonks, Lupin, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and the twins. Iris heart leapt into her throat at the sight of George.

Mrs. Weasley smiled broadly at her, "Welcome back, dear." She came forward to give her a hug.

"Nice to see you again, Iris," Mr. Weasley said. Iris looked around at everyone and couldn't help but feel like she had a family.

As Mrs. Weasley released her from the bear hug, she caught Iris glancing over at George smiling, "Oh, go on you," she swatted her away.

Iris dropped her trunk and ran to George who picked her up in an embrace. He spun her and around and held on tight, "I've missed you," she whispered in his ear so that he was the only one to hear.

He placed her down after a moment and whispered back, "I've missed you so much," Iris could feel everyone's eyes on them, even Moody's magical one.

Iris heard the sound of more trunks and voices, "Ron! Ginny! Oh, and Harry, dear-how are you?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

"Fine," Harry said but she could tell by his tone that he was lying.

Ron had walked over to Fred and George, "What are they suppose to be?" he asked indicating their new clothes.

"Finest dragon skin, little bro. Business is booming so we decided to treat ourselves," Fred replied coolly.

Iris watched as everyone walked towards a stout round man, a thin woman and a rotund boy, whom looked frightened by the mob of people walking towards them.

She could care less about the family of three that Moody seemed to be threatening. Iris was just happy to see George.

Everyone waved to Harry as he left with his aunt and uncle. Moody, Tonks and Lupin left soon after, leaving the Weasleys', Hermione and Iris.

Hermione waved goodbye as she departed with her parents. Iris felt that she should be leaving soon so she picked up her luggage, prepared to go home.

"I have to get going, now," Iris told them all.

"Alright, dear. We'll be seeing you soon," Mrs. Weasley said, hugging her. She turned to say goodbye to Fred and George.

She hugged Fred first, "I'll be seeing you, alright?"

"Take care of your self, Iris," Fred told her.

She faced George, "Be good, you, okay?" She said, hugging him tightly, kissing him on the cheek.

"I'll try," he said jokingly, returning the kiss.

They broke apart and Iris took her trunk in hand, heading for the orphanage that she called home.


	80. Sixth Year

**I'm really sorry for the delay in uploading. I just moved back home from school and have been working like a madman. Please review and tell me what you think!**

**YEAR SIX**

Iris sat in the empty pub of the Leaky Cauldron. Her head was lolling over a copy of the _Daily Prophet_ with the headline: _Scrimgeour succeeds Fudge_.

Iris felt that she wouldn't be able to keep herself awake long enough to make it to closing in an hour. Business had been even slower since the Death Eaters escape from Azkaban almost a year earlier.

Flute flew in through an empty window. His feathers were ruffled and he was drenched by the rain that pounded off the roof of the pub.

He shook himself to rid his sleek feathers of the excess rain. The water soaked through the _Daily Prophet_ and splashed Iris in the face, waking her from sleep, which seemed to becoming more out of reach.

She shook her head, trying to wake herself and looked up at the tiny owl, cleaning his feathers. Flute looked even more tired than Iris felt. He huddled by the single candle that burned at the tiny table.

Iris checked the time on the wall and saw that it was only quarter to eleven. Only fifteen more minutes till closing. She got up from the table, pushing the wooden chair back, cringing slightly at the scrapping noise.

She held out her arm for the owl to climb onto and picked up the now drying _Daily Prophet_, throwing it in the trash behind the counter.

Iris walked around the tavern picking up anything that needed to be and extinguishing all of the lights.

She took the keys out of her apron pocket and locked all of the doors and closed all of the opened windows.

By the time she had finished, she was showered in darkness. The only visible light was from the damp streetlights outside.

Iris walked out into the wet streets of London, taking in a fresh breath of clean air. The rain always had a way of washing away everything.

She walked the several blocks to the orphanage. It had seemed to be dark and luminous all at the same time behind the high Iron Gate.

She let herself in and quietly made her way upstairs. Flute, who was always making some sort of noise, knew not to in the orphanage at night. He had already made that mistake once.

Iris slipped into bed, under her thick wool covers and was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

The murky light from outside was spliced by the curtains, causing only slices of it to illuminate the tiny room. She looked over to see Flute silently snoozing in his opened cage.

Iris slowly got up and dressed for the day. She was relieved that she didn't have to work today and could pack all of her belongings for her sixth year back to Hogwarts.

Mrs. Weasley had sent her a letter telling her that someone would be coming to bring her to the Burrow in a week's time. She received the letter a few days ago and was waiting for the day patiently.

Two days later, Lupin had come to take her to the Burrow. She was ecstatic that she was going their, anywhere was better than being stuck in the orphanage.


	81. Chapter 81

Mrs. Weasley opened the door to greet her with a hug, "It's good to see you, dear. How are you?" she asked in a motherly tone.

"Fine," she said truthfully, "How are you?"

"Oh, just the same old same old," she said tiredly.

Iris looked around the Burrow. She had never actually seen it or been inside. From the outside it looked small and quaint but on the inside it looked as if someone had used an Extension Charm on it.

She noticed a clock that had all of the Weasley family members names etched on nine hands, all seemed to be pointing to 'mortal peril'.

Mrs. Weasley must have seen her staring at it, "It's been like that since You-Know-Who has come back out into the open. I suppose we're all in mortal peril now…I don't think it is just our family..." her voice was lost in the chimes that indicated that it was eight o'clock.

"Anyway, you will be sleeping in Charlie's old room. Ron, Harry and Hermione are all upstairs in Fred and George's old room. Just go up the stairs to the second floor and it's the first door." Mrs. Weasley ushered her upstairs with her trunk.

Iris made it to Charlie's old room only by guessing which was his. She placed her trunk on the bed and let Flute out of the cage, opening the window for him to leave if he wanted to.

After she had settled in, Iris went down to Fred and George's old room, where she found Ginny, Ron, Harry and Hermione. They waved her in and told her to close the door.

Iris sat at the foot of one of the beds. They seemed to be in the middle of talking about someone names Phlegm, "Who are you-," Harry asked but was interrupted by a girl with silvery blond hair. Iris looked up to see Fleur Delacour standing in the doorway with a breakfast tray.

"'Arry, Eet 'as been too long!" she said in her airy French dialect.

"There was no need to bring up the tray; I was just going to do it myself!" Mrs. Weasley had trailed in behind her looking most cantankerous.

"Eet was no trouble. I 'ave been longing to see 'im. You remember my sister Gabrielle? She never stops talking abou' 'Arry Potter. She will be delighted to see you again.

"Oh… is she here too?" Harry said groggily.

"No, no, silly boy. I mean next summer, when we-but you do not know?" Fleur sounded surprised.

She looked around at Mrs. Weasley, "We hadn't gotten around to telling him yet," Mrs. Weasley told her. Fleur whipped her long silver sheets of hair in Mrs. Weasley's face as she turned back to Harry.

"Bill and I are going to be married!" her words came spilling out of her with excitement.

"Oh. Wow. Er-congratulations!" Harry seemed like he didn't know what to say.

"Bill is very busy at ze moment, working very 'ard and I only work part time at Gringotts for my Eenglish, so he brought me 'ear for a few days to get to know 'is family properly. I was so pleased to 'ear you would be coming-zere isn't much to do 'ear unless you like cooking and chickens! Well-enjoy your breakfast 'Arry!" Fleur left the room.

"Mum hates her," Ginny whispered to Iris.

"I do not hate her! I just think that they've hurried into this engagement, that's all!" Mrs. Weasley snapped.

"They've know each other a year," Ron said dreamily as he continued to watched the door.

"Well, that's not long enough! I know why it's happened, of course. It's all this uncertainty with You-Know-Who coming back; people think they might die tomorrow, so their rushing all sorts of decisions they'd normally take time over. It's not as if you see Iris and George going off and getting married, and they've known each other longer."

Iris couldn't help but blush furiously at the mention of her and George getting married. She hadn't even thought about it until Mrs. Weasley brought it up. Everyone looked at her as if she had twelve heads.

"It was the same last time he was powerful, people eloping left, right and center," she continued.

"Including you and Dad," Ginny added coyly.

"Yes, well, your father and I were made for each other, what was the point in waiting? Whereas Bill and Fleur…well…what have they really got in common? He's a hard-working, down-to-earth sort of person, whereas she's-."

"A cow. But Bill's not that down-to-earth. He's a Curse Breaker, isn't he, he likes a little adventure, and a bit of glamour…I expect that's why he's gone for Phlegm." Ginny added.

"Stop calling her that, Ginny. Well, I better get on…Eat your eggs while they're still warm," Mrs. Weasley said as she got up to leave.

"Don't you get used to her if you're staying in the same house?" Iris asked.

"Well, you do but if she jumps out at you unexpectedly, like then…" Ron said.

"It's pathetic," Hermione scolded, getting up.

"You don't really want her around forever? Well, Mum's going to try to put a stop to it if she can, I bet you anything," Ginny said to them.

"How is she going to manage that?" Iris asked again.

"She keeps trying to get Tonks around for dinner. I think she's hoping Bill will fall in love with Tonks instead. I hope he does. I'd much rather have her in the family." She confessed.

"Yeah, that'll work. Listen, no bloke in his right mind's going to fancy Tonks when Fleur's around. I mean Tonks is okay-looking when she isn't doing stupid things to her hair and her nose, but-," Ron said trying to defend his reasoning.

"She's a damn sight nicer than Phlegm," Ginny retorted.

"And she's more intelligent, she's an Auror!" Hermione pleaded.

"Fleur's not stupid. She was good enough to enter the Tri-Wizard Tournament," Harry started defending her also.

"Not you as well," Hermione said cynically.

"I suppose you like the way Phlegm says ''Arry,' do you?" Ginny contributed scathingly.

"No. I was just saying Phlegm-I mean Fleur-," Harry looked like he wished he hadn't opened his mouth.

"I'd much rather have Tonks in the family. At least she's a laugh," Ginny said.

"She hasn't been much of a laugh lately. Every time I've seen her she's looked like more like Moaning Myrtle," Ron added.

"That's not fair. She still hasn't gotten over what happened…you know…I mean, he was her cousin," Hermione added in hushed tones. Iris knew that they had started talking about Sirius.

Iris sat on the edge of the bed in silence listening, "Tonks and Sirius barely knew each other! Sirius was in Azkaban half her life and before that their families never met." Ron argued.

"That's not the point. She thinks it was her fault he died!" Hermione snapped at him.

"How does she work that one out?" Harry asked meekly.

"Well, she was fighting Bellatrix Lestrange, wasn't she? I think that she fells that if she had only finished her off, Bellatrix couldn't have killed Sirius," Hermione told him.

"That's stupid," Ron retorted.

"It's survivor's guilt. I know Lupin's tried to talk her around, but she's still really down. She's actually having trouble Metamorphosing!" Hermione revealed.

"With her-?"

"She can't change her appearance like she use to. I think her powers must have been affected by shock, or something," she explained further.

"I didn't know that could happen," Harry confessed.

"Nor did I, but I suppose if you're really depressed…"

As Hermione said them, Mrs. Weasley opened the door, "Iris, Ginny, come downstairs and help me with the lunch."

"I'm talking to this lot!" yelled Ginny in an outrage.

"Now!" Ginny and Iris got up to follow Mrs. Weasley.

"She only wants us down there so she doesn't have to be alone with Phlegm!" Ginny swung her head of red hair, very much like Iris's except lighter, perfectly imitating Fleur and pranced from the room with her arms over her head as if she were a ballerina, "You lot had better come down quickly too."

As Iris made her way down the stairs she could still hear snippets of their conversation, "What's this?" Iris could hear Hermione say, rummaging through a box in Fred and George's room.

"Dunno, but if Fred and George've left it here, it's probably not ready for the joke shop yet, so be careful," Ron advised her.

"Your mum said the shop's going well. Said Fred and George have got a real flare for business," Harry said.

"That's an understatement. They're raking in the Galleons! I can't wait to see the place, we haven't been to Diagon Alley yet, because Mum say's Dad's got to be there for extra security and he's been really busy at work, but it sounds excellent. I wonder if Iris has gone yet," Ron confessed.

The truth was that she hadn't and she hadn't seen or heard from George since that day at Kings Cross a month and a half ago. She, like Ron, couldn't wait to see it either.

Iris would have stayed and listened but she was given the job of setting the table for lunch. Soon after she had finished, Harry, Ron and Hermione had descended the flight of stairs. Iris noticed that Hermione was sporting a fresh black eye.

Mrs. Weasley had pulled out a book, _'The Healer Helpmate,'_ opened to the chapter titled, 'Bruises, Cuts and Abrasions.'

"It just won't budge. This has always worked before, I just can't understand it," Mrs. Weasley fussed over Hermione's eye.

"It'll be Fred and George's idea of a funny joke, making sure it can't come off," Ginny pointed out.

"But it's got to come off! I can't go around looking like this forever!" Hermione squealed.

"You won't, dear, we'll find an antidote, don't worry," Mrs. Weasley said relaxingly.

Iris listened and watched as Hermione panicked over her eye and the imminent arrival of their O.W.L.s.


	82. Chapter 82

One by one owls' flew through the kitchen window, each landing on the table in front of them, "Oh no!" squeaked Hermione.

Iris untied her results of her O.W.L.s with trembling hands. These results would determine her future.

Iris opened the envelope hastily and pulled out the parchment with her exam grades on them. She peeked at the folded paper and saw her grades.

ORDINARY WIZARDING LEVEL RESULTS

_Pass Grades__Fail Grades_

Outstanding (O) Poor (P)

Exceeds Expectations (E) Dreadful (D)

Acceptable (A) Troll (T)

_Iris Katrina Blackthorne has received:_

Astronomy A

Care of Magical Creatures O

Charms E

Defense Against the Dark Arts O

Divinations P

Herbology A

History of Magic P

Potions O

Transfiguration O

Iris was enthralled when she saw that she had gotten seven O.W.L.'s. She passed in all of the subjects she needed to become and Auror.

"Hermione? How did you do?" Ginny asked.

"I-not bad," she said meekly.

"Oh, come off it," Ron took her parchment out of Hermione's hand, "Yep-nine 'Outstandings' and one 'Exceeds Expectations' at Defense Against the Dark Arts. You're actually disappointed, aren't you?"

"How did you do, Iris?" Harry asked.

She handed him her parchment with her grades, "No better than all of you, I guess," she said modestly.

"Are you kidding? You did a lot better than Ron and I, good job" Harry told her encouragingly handing her back her results.

"Thanks," Iris smiled at him.

"Well, we're N.E.W.T. students now! Mum, is their any more sausage?" Ron said humorously.

Iris stayed at the Burrow, helping with chores and such over the next few weeks. Iris was often found reading the _Daily Prophet_ in the confines of the Weasley's overgrown garden. Flute kept her company during these quiet times.

She wasn't surprised to find many reports of people disappearing, odd happenings and the occasional death.

For Harry's sixteenth birthday party, Lupin had arrived with grim news, "There have been another couple of dementor attacks, and they've found Igor Karkaroff's body in a shack up north. The Dark Mark had been set over it-Well, Frankly, I'm surprised he stayed alive for a year after deserting the Death Eaters. Sirius's brother, Regulus, only managed a few days as far as I can remember."

"Yes, well," Mr. Weasley said grimly, "perhaps we should talk about something different-,"

"Did you hear about Florean Fortescue, Remus?" Bill asked, cutting off Mr. Weasley, "The man who ran-."

"-the ice-cream place in Diagon Alley? He used to give me free ice-cream. What's happened to him?" Harry interrupted.

"Dragged off, from the look of his place."

"Why?" Ron asked as Mrs. Weasley glared at Bill for bringing it up.

"Who knows? He must have upset them in some way. He was a good man, Florean."

"Talking of Diagon Alley, looks like Ollivander's gone too," Mr. Weasley cut back into the conversation.

"The wand maker?" Iris asked alarmed.

"That's the one. Shop's empty, no sign of struggle. No one knows if he left voluntarily or was kidnapped."

"But wands-what will people do about wands?" Iris said puzzled.

"They make do with other makers but Ollivander was the best and if the other side has him it's not good for us," Lupin told her gloomily.

The next day, everyone's Hogwarts letter had come by way of owl. Harry had been made Quidditch captain of the Gryffindor team.

"Well, I don't think we can put off a trip to Diagon Alley much longer, now that you've got these. We'll go on Saturday as long as your father doesn't have to go into work that day. I'm not going their without him," Mrs. Weasley said hesitantly.

"Mum, do you honestly think that You-Know-Who is going to be hiding behind a bookshelf at Flourish and Blotts?" Ron said, holding back laughter.

"Fortescue and Ollivander went on holiday, did they? If you think securities a laughing matter you can stay behind and I can get your things myself-," Mrs. Weasley said flaring up in anger.

"No, I want to come and see Fred and George's shop!" Ron tried to recover.

"Then you just buck up your ideas, young man, before I decide that you're too immature to come with us! And that goes for returning to Hogwarts as well!" Mrs. Weasley picked up her laundry basket with the clock that pointed nine hands to 'mortal peril' teetering on top.


	83. Chapter 83

**Here is another chapter for you. Review and let me know what you think :)**

Saturday came and a Ministry car was waiting outside the Burrow for them. Once inside Iris found that it was a lot bigger than she thought it would be, just like the Burrow.

They arrived at the Leaky Cauldron were Iris had been working only weeks before. Tom the landlord looked at the prospect of customers happily but was disappointed when they walked past; Hagrid saying, "Jus' passin' through, Tom, sure yeh understand, Hogwarts business, yeh know."

They headed to the entrance to Diagon Alley. Once through, Iris couldn't help but notice how different it looked with its abandoned shops and numerous posters, illustrating escaped Death Eaters and security advice from the pamphlets that had been given out over the summer.

Hagrid had taken Harry, Ron and Hermione over to Madame Malkin's for there robes, while Iris and Ginny had gone with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley to Flourish and Blotts.

Once they had acquired everyone's book they had stopped in front of a giant corner store that's windows were emblazoned with flashing colors and posters. One in particular seemed to catch everyone's eye.

Why are you worrying about

You-Know-Who?

You should be worrying about

U-No-Poo-

The constipations sensation

That's gripping the nation!

Iris along with everyone else where laughing, with the exception of Mrs. Weasley, Iris could hear her say, "They'll be murdered in their beds!"

"No they won't! This is brilliant!" shouted Ron.

Harry led the way into the shop; it was so crowded that she couldn't make it anywhere near the shelves.

When a space in the crowd cleared Iris took advantage and pushed her way through.

She finally made it to a display that held numerous boxes labeled, 'Patented Daydream Charms.' Iris took to reading the back of the box that had the depiction of a handsome youth standing at the foot of a tower as a beautiful girl with extensive hair loomed just out of reach.

"One simple incantation and you will enter a top quality highly realistic thirty minute daydream, easy to fit into an average school lesson, and virtually undetectable. Side effects may include vacant expression and minor drooling. Not for sale for under-sixteen's." Hermione looked up at Harry and Iris, "That really is extraordinary magic!"

"For that, Hermione, you can have one for free," Iris turned around to see Fred. He was wearing magnificent magenta robes that clashed with his fiery red hair.

"How are you, Harry?" They shook hands, "What happened to your eye, Hermione?" he asked.

"Your punching telescopes," she said unhappily.

"Oh, Blimey! I forgot about those. Here-," Fred pulled something out of his pocket and gave it to her. Iris watched her unscrew the cover but that was the last thing she saw.

George had come up behind her, causing her to jump, his long arms wrapping around her middle, holding her tight to him, "Hello, beautiful."

Iris was still holding the 'Patented Daydream Charm' box in her hand. George looked at the box, "You don't need one of these, that's what I'm for." He squeezed her, taking the box from her hand and put it back on the shelf.

Iris turned around to face him, still engulfed in his arms, "Aw, are you jealous of a little box, hmm?" she smirked at him.

"Hmm, maybe just a little," he teased. He took her hand and led her over to where Harry and Fred stood in the back of the store.

George shook Harry's hand, "C'mon through the back that's where we're making the real money-pocket anything and you'll pay in more than Galleons," he warned a young boy, trying to sneak something.

He pushed back the curtains to revealed another room, "You wouldn't believe how many people, even people who work at the ministry, can't do a decent shield charm. 'Course they didn't have you teaching them, Harry."

"That's right…Well we thought Shield Hats were a bit of a laugh, you know, challenge your mate to jinx you while wearing it and watch his face when the jinx bounces off. But the Ministry bought five hundred for its entire support staff! And we're still getting massive orders," Fred confessed.

"So we've expanded into a range of Shield Cloaks, Shield Gloves…"

"…I mean, they wouldn't help much against the Unforgivable Curses, but for minor to moderate hexed or jinxes."

"And then we thought we'd get into the area of Defense Against the Dark Arts, because it's such a money spinner. This is cool. Look, Instant Darkness Powder, we're importing it from Peru. Handy if you want a quick escape," George continued.

Iris let go of his hand to look around, "And our Decoy Detonators are just walking off the shelves, look," Fred pointed to a bramble of little black, horned objects, "You just drop one surreptitiously and it'll run off and make a nice loud noise out of sight, giving you a diversion if you need one."

"Handy," Iris interjected.

"Here," George tossed a couple to Harry.

A blond haired witch peeked through the curtain, "There's a customer out here looking for a joke cauldron, Mr. Weasley and Mr. Weasley." Iris thought it was odd to hear them both called Mr. Weasley.

"Right you are, Verity. I'm coming. Harry, you help yourself to anything you want, alright? No charge," George concluded.

"I can't do that!" Harry told them.

"You don't pay here," Fred waved away Harry's attempt to pay.

"But-,"

"You gave us our start up loan, we haven't forgotten. Take whatever you like, and just remember to tell people where you got it, if they ask," with that George left through the heavy curtain.

Iris headed back out to the main part of the store, finding Hermione and Ginny still entranced by the 'Patented Daydream Charms.'

"Haven't you girls found our special WonderWitch products, yet?" Fred asked, "Follow me, ladies…"

They all followed him to a display of what appeared to be Love Potions, "There you go. Best range of Love Potions you'll find anywhere."

"Do they work?" Ginny asked.

"Certainly they work, for up to twenty-four hours at a time depending on the weight of the boy in question-."

"-and the attractiveness of the girl. But we're not selling them to our sister. Not when she's got five boys on the go from what we've-." George said from behind Iris.

"Whatever you've heard from Ron is a big fat lie. What's this?" Ginny asked looking into a pink pot she picked off the shelf.

"Guaranteed ten-second pimple vanisher. Excellent on everything from boils to blackheads, but don't change the subject. Are you or are you not currently going out with Dean Thomas?" Fred inquired.

"Yes, I am. And last time I looked, he was definitely one boy not five. What are those?" Ginny indicated a cage of pink and purple puffs.

"Pygmy Puffs. Miniature puffskeins, we can't breed them fast enough. So what about Michael Corner?" George asked.

"I dumped him, he was a bad loser. They're really cute!" Ginny poked her finger through the cage.

"They're fairly cuddly, yes. But you're moving through boyfriends a bit fast, aren't you?" Fred told her.

"It's none of your business. And I'll thank you not to tell tales about me to these two!" she glared at Ron who had just appeared with his hands full.

"That's three Galleons, nine Sickles and a Knut," Fred told Ron, "Cough up."

"I'm your brother!"

"And that's our stuff you're nicking. Three Galleons, nine Sickles. I'll knock off the Knut."

"But I haven't got three Galleons, nine Sickles!"

"You'd better put it back then, and mind you put it on the right shelves."

Ron dropped the boxes and made an obscene hand gesture that Mrs. Weasley had seen at that moment.

"If I see you do that again, I'll jinx your fingers together," Mrs. Weasley yelled at him.

"Mum, can I have a Pygmy Puff?" Ginny asked as soon as she was close enough.

"A what?" she asked cautiously.

"Look, they're so cute…"

Iris moved away from the crowd of people flocking towards the Pygmy Puffs and WonderWitch products. She headed to the least populated area, which was near the front counter.

"Why, hello there," George was behind the counter, "So how do you like it?"

"I absolutely love it," she smiled at him.

His smile was just as big, "I thought you might." George took her behind the counter and lifted her up to sit on it.

This way, she was almost as tall as him; they could almost see eye to eye. Iris put her arms limply on his shoulders, leaning forward to kiss him.

"I'm so proud of you," she said kissing him again.

She sat there as more people poured into the brilliant store, consuming goods. Their sweet bliss was interrupted by Mrs. Weasley, "Time to go, dear."

George helped Iris off the counter and walked over to hug his mother good-bye. George walked back to Iris who was still standing behind the counter.

He pulled something out of his pocket and put it in her hand, "Don't open that here." Iris looked in her palm and saw a small package, wrapped with a little bow.

"Come on, Iris, dear," Mrs. Weasley called.

"Coming!" Iris called back. She kissed George good-bye, "I'll miss you. Promise to write."

"I promise," he said, "You better go before Mum has a cow," He smirked kissing her forehead.

She left the store with the tiny parcel tight in her hand.


	84. Chapter 84

Iris stood on Platform 9 ¾ ready to board the train back to Hogwarts. It was going to be a strangely empty year without Fred and George and their constant mischief.

Iris was crammed into the tiny corridor with Ginny, Neville, Luna and Harry, "Fancy finding a compartment?" Harry asked them after Ginny had left to go and meet Dean.

They all settled into an empty compartment, "They're even staring at us! Because we're with you!" Neville said, pointing to Luna and him.

"They're staring at you because you were at the Ministry. Our little adventure there was all over the Daily Prophet, you must've seen it," Harry told them.

Iris didn't bother listening to the rest of the conversation. Instead she started reading through her new books, playing with the tiny parcel she was holding in her hand. She hadn't opened it yet and almost didn't want to.

Soon after they had gotten comfortable in their train car, Ron and Hermione came in and joined them. They were rambling on about how Malfoy wasn't going to be a prefect this year.

Iris's reading was interrupted by a breathless third year, "I'm suppose to deliver these to Neville Longbottom, Iris Blackthorne and Harry Potter."

Iris took her parchment that was neatly tied with a mauve ribbon. She read the note to herself.

_Iris,_

_ I would be delighted if you would join me for a bite if lunch in compartment C._

_Sincerely,_

_ Professor H. E. F. Slughorn_

"Who's Professor Slughorn?" Iris and Neville asked both confounded.

"New teacher, well, I suppose we'll have to go, won't we?" Harry said standing up.

"But what does he want me for?" Neville asked confused.

"No idea," Harry confessed.

They all left the train car and made their way to compartment C. The corridor was jammed with people looking for the lunch trolley.

Iris saw that they weren't the only people invited to join Slughorn for lunch. Iris was toying with the box, still firmly placed in her hand.

"Good to see you, good to see you," Slughorn told them as they entered the car, "And you must be Mr. Longbottom!"

Neville nodded apprehensively as he sat down. Slughorn turned to look at Iris, "Good heavens! You must be Iris!" he said with bated breath, "You look just like Lily," he added reminiscently.

Iris blushed crimson, "Thank you, Professor." She sat down across from Blaise Zabini.

"Now, do you know everyone? Blaise Zabini is in your year, of course-This is Cormac McLaggen, and perhaps you've come across each other-? No-and this is Marcus Belby, I don't know whether-and this charming young lady tells me she knows you!" Slughorn went around the room.

"Well now, this is most pleasant. A chance to get to know you all a little better; here, take a napkin. I've packed my own lunch; the trolley, as I remember it, is heavy on licorice wands and a poor man's digestive system isn't quite up to such things…Pheasant, Belby?"

Slughorn went around the car asking about everyone and the famous incidents or people they were affiliated with.

Iris learned that Belby's uncle had invented the Wolfsbane Potion, Cormac had an uncle that had ties to the now Minister Scrimgeour. Blaise had a famously beautiful witch for a mother that had been married seven times, all ending in the newest husband dying, leaving them loads of money.

Neville had been put through a terrible question and answer session about his parents being Aurors that had been tortured into insanity by Bellatrix Lestrange. Harry was put through the same interrogation he was always privy to about being, 'The Chosen One'.

Iris was the last to be questioned, "Now, is it true that you are keen about one of the brothers that own that magnificent shop in Diagon Alley?" Everyone was looking at her now. She fidgeted with the box in her hand.

"Yes, yes I am," she said proudly.

"Ah, I see. No doubt he is a very lucky man that one," Slughorn twinkled at her, "Now, you are no doubt an unfortunate orphan like, Mr. Potter, here, are you not?" Iris looked over at Harry for a split second and then looked away.

"Yes, sir," Iris had been trying to avoid talking about her parents to anyone. The only people that she was aware that knew were members of the Order and the Weasleys.

"It was no doubt, You-Know-Who or one of his followers that done it. Terribly tragic it was. I remember teaching your parents, bright young couple they were," Slughorn told them with a reassuring smile, "It was a right bit of a nasty shock when I read they had been killed. You must have been so young and then to find out that you are related to the Dark Lord himself! No doubt, Dumbledore's already told you. Oh, you poor thing, I would be terrified for my very life," Slughorn said chuckling at himself.

The entire car was staring at her as Slughorn said all of those things. Iris's eyes began to tear up as everyone continued to gawk at her. How could Slughorn know about that? They haven't even gotten to Hogwarts yet.

Iris jumped up from her seat, whipping the start of a trail of tears from her watery green eyes, "I have to go and get ready, Professor, thank you for lunch." Iris burst out of the compartment door. She could faintly hear Slughorn, "Was it something I said?"

She made her way back to the now empty car and changed into her robes. Flute was hooting his concern for her but she ignored him, now whipping her eyes furiously.


	85. Chapter 85

The Great Hall looked the same as it always had; its long tables and the Staff table in the front. Half way through the feast Harry came in, his face covered in blood.

He sped past everyone to join Hermione and Ron, "_Tergeo!_" Hermione whispered siphoning the blood.

After the feast, Dumbledore stood up to give his usual speech, "The very best of evenings to you!" Iris along with several other students had noticed his blackened, dead looking hand. He promptly hid it under his cloak sleeve, "Nothing to worry about," he said waving their whispers aside.

"Now…to our new students, welcome to our old students, welcome back! Another year full of magical education awaits you. And Mr. Filch, our caretaker, has asked me to say that there is a blanket ban on any joke items bought at the shop called Weasley's Wizard Wheezes." Dumbledore looked directly at Iris as he said this, almost as if he was expecting her to be smuggling in their products to sell on the sly. There was a great moan of disapproval from several students.

"Those wishing to play for their House Quidditch teams should give their names to their Heads of House as usual. We are also looking for new Quidditch commentators, who should do likewise," Dumbledore added.

"We are pleased to welcome a new member of staff this year. Professor Slughorn is a former college of mine who has agreed to resume his old post as Potions master."

The word 'Potions' echoed through out the hall in mass eruptions.

"Professor Snape, meanwhile, will be taking over the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."

"No!" Harry said so vociferously that everyone turned to look at him. The hall once again exploded into whispers.

Dumbledore cleared his voice, assuring silence would fall once again, "Now, as everybody in this Hall knows, Lord Voldemort and his followers are once more at large and gaining strength." Many people cringed at the name while others from Slytherin table had looked over at Iris. Apparently Blaise had spread the news far and wide as gradually more and more students from other tables turned to look at her. Nott, a Slytherin sitting next to Blaise winked at her. She looked away in disgust.

Dumbledore noticed this and continued promptly, "I cannot emphasize strongly enough how dangerous the present situation is, and how much care each of us at Hogwarts must take to ensure that we remain safe. The castle's magical fortifications have been strengthened over the summer, we are protected in new and more powerful ways, but we must still guard scrupulously against carelessness on the part of any students or member of staff. I urge you therefore, to abide by any security restrictions that your teachers might impose upon you, however irksome you might find them-in particular, the rule that you are not to be out of bed after hours, I implore you, should you notice anything strange or suspicious within or outside the castle, report it to a member of staff immediately. I must trust you to conduct yourselves, always, with the utmost regard for your own and others' safety. But now, your beds await, as warm and comfortable as you could possibly wish, and I know that your top priority is to be well rested for your lessons tomorrow. Let us therefore say good night. Pip pip!"

McGonagall had started passing out schedules the next morning at breakfast, "No surprise here, Miss Blackthorne," She filled out a blank parchment and handed it to Iris. She saw that she had a break now, after lunch and break.

Her first class of the day was Defense Against the Dark Arts; Iris sat down in the middle of the room with Neville.

"I have not asked you to take out your books. I wish to speak to you and I want your full attention," Snape sneered.

"You have had five teachers in this subject so far, I believe. Naturally these teachers will have had their own methods and priorities; given this confusion I am surprised so many of you scraped an O.W.L. in this subject. I shall be even more surprised if all of you manage to keep up with the N.E.W.T. work, which will be much more advanced."

Snape had walked around the edge of the room, "The Dark Arts are varied and many, ever-changing and eternal. Fighting them is like fighting a many-headed monster, which, each time a neck is severed, sprouts a head even fiercer and cleverer than before, you are fighting that which is unfixed, mutating, and indestructible."

"Your defenses must therefore be as flexible and innovated as the arts you seek to undo. These pictures give a fair representation of what happens to those who suffer the Cruciatus Curse-feel the Dementors Kiss-or provoke the aggression of the Inferius."

"Has an Inferius been seen then? Is it definite that he's using them?" Iris asked raising her hand.

"The Dark Lord had used Inferi in the past which means you would be well-advised to assume he might us them again. Now you are, I believe, complete novices in the use of nonverbal spells. What is the advantage of the nonverbal spell?" He waited, "Very well-Miss Granger?"

"Your adversary has no warning about what kind of magic you're about to perform which gives you a spilt second advantage," Hermione answered.

"An answer copied almost word for word from The Standard Book of Spells, Grade Six, but correct in essentials. Yes, those who progress in using magic without shouting incantations gain an element of surprise in their spell-casting. Not all wizards can do this, of course; it is a question of concentration and mind power which some…lack," Snape droned on.

"You will now divide into pairs. One partner will attempt to jinx the other without speaking. The other will attempt to repel the jinx in equal silence. Carry on."

Iris had paired with Dean as everyone attempted to perform their wordless magic. Ten minutes into the lesson, Hermione had succeeded. Iris had finally managed her Shield Charm only after half of the class was over. Most of the time, people had been muttering the jinxes under their breath.

Iris made her way down to the dungeon for potions. Iris could smell a most seductive scent as she set her bag down by a gold colored-cauldron.

Iris could smell the fragrance of a cool fall day, spring rain, burning candles and cologne that smelled vaguely familiar.

"Now then, now then, now then, scales out, everyone, and potions kit, don't forget your copy of _Advanced Potion-Making_…Harry, m'boy?" Slughorn said.

"I haven't got a book or scales or anything-nor's Ron-we didn't realize we'd be able to do the N.E.W.T., you see-," Harry revealed.

"Ah, yes, Professor McGonagall did mention…not to worry, my dear boy, not to worry at all. You can use ingredients from the store cupboard today, and I'm sure we can lend you some scales, and we've got a small stock of old books here, they'll do until you can write to Flourish and Blotts…"

"Now then, I've prepared a few potions for you to have a look at, just out of interest, you know. These are the kind of things you ought to be able to make after completing your N.E.W.T.s. You ought to have heard of 'em, even if you haven't made them yet. Anyone tell me what this is?"

"It's Veritaserum, a colorless, odorless potion that forces the drinker to tell the truth," Hermione answered.

"Very good, very good! Now, this one here is pretty well known…Featured in a few Ministry leaflets lately…Who can-?"

"It's Polyjuice Potions, sir."

"Excellent! Excellent! Now, this one…yes, my dear?" Slughorn asked amused.

"It's Amortentia!"

"It is indeed. It seems almost foolish to ask but I assume you know what it does?

"It's the most powerful Love Potion in the world!"

"Quite right! You recognize it, I suppose it, I suppose, by its distinctive mother-of-pearl sheen?"

"And the steam rising in characteristic spirals and it's suppose to smell differently to each of us, according to what attracts us, and I can smell freshly mowed grass and new parchment and-." Hermione didn't finish but flushed deep red.

"May I ask your name, my dear?"

"Hermione Granger, sir."

"Granger? Granger? Can you possibly be related to Hector Dagworth-Granger, who found the Most Extraordinary Society of Potioneers?"

"No. I don't think so, sir. I'm Muggle-born, you see."

"Oho! I'm assuming this is the very friend of whom you spoke, Harry?"

"Yes, sir," Harry answered.

"Well, well, take twenty well-earned points for Gryffindor, Miss Granger. Amortentia doesn't really create love of course. It is impossible to manufacture or imitate love. No, this will simple cause a powerful infatuation or obsession. It is probably one of the most dangerous and powerful Love Potions in this room. When you have seen as much of life as I have, you will not underestimate the power of obsessive love…"

"And now, it is time for us to start work."

"Sir, you haven't told us what's in this one," Ernie Macmillan pointed to a cauldron on Slughorn's desk.

"Ah, yes, ladies and gentlemen is a curious little potion known Felix Felicis, more commonly know as-."

"Liquid Luck!" Hermione interjected.

"Ah, yes Miss Granger, Liquid Luck," Slughorn said, "Desperately tricky to make, disastrous should you get it wrong. One sip and you will find that all of your endeavors succeed. At least until the effects wear off. So this is what I offer each of you today. One tiny vial of Liquid Luck to the student who, in the hour that remains manages to brew an acceptable Draught of Living Death, the recipes for which can be found on page ten of your books. I should point out, however, only once did a student manage to brew a potion of sufficient quality to claim this prize. Nevertheless, good luck to you all. Let the brewing commence." Slughorn finally finished.

Iris opened her book to the appropriate page and scanned the instructions. She started on her draught but soon came to a halt when she couldn't cut her sopophorous beans. She finally by accident had crushed one of them when the blade of her knife slipped sideways, so that it lay flat. The juices expelled from the bean and Iris added the ingredient with great relief.

Iris was trying to stir the potion counterclockwise so that it would turn clear but was unsuccessful. By that time Slughorn was calling to them all, "And times…up! Stop stirring, please!"

Slughorn took to walking around the room, examining everyone's potion. He gave Iris and Hermione's an approving nod but stopped at Harry's simmering cauldron.

"Merlin's beard! It is perfect! So perfect I daresay one drop would kill us all. So here we are, then, as promised. One vial of Felix Felicis. Congratulations. Use it well," Slughorn advised.


	86. Chapter 86

Iris spent her breaks in the common room working on the masses of homework. Nonverbal spells were now expected in all of her classes. She was managing the spells well enough but was falling behind on her studies.

George had sent her another letter, telling her that more and more people have been disappearing. He also asked if she had opened what he had given her and bet that she hadn't yet.

He was right; she hadn't or even thought of it. It was more of a reminder of him and she didn't want to loose it. The box was so worn from handling that the ribbon was starting to come loose. Iris frequently had to retie it so that it wouldn't fall off. She wasn't sure when or if she would ever open it.

Iris headed down to the Quidditch pitch to watch the much awaited tryouts. Over twenty people had signed up for try-outs. She sat with Luna, who had also come to watch.

Two hours later, Harry had seemed to find himself three new Chasers, Katie Bell, Ginny and Demelza Robins. He had chosen Jimmy Peakes and Richie Coote as his Beaters; they were nowhere near as good as Fred and George, but then again who would be?

Harry had kept the task of choosing a Keeper till last. McLaggen had saved four out of five penalty shots but Ron had managed to save them all, so the position went to him.

The first Hogsmeade trip that Iris actually went on had been during a bad snowstorm. Hogsmeade was covered in over a foot of snow. She made her way to the Three Broomsticks, joining Neville and Luna at a table.

Halfway through their conversation, Nott came up to the table, "So Blackthorne, there is a rumor going around that your single again now that Weasley is gone, is it true?"

Iris couldn't believe what she was hearing, "Where did you here that?"

"Just around, you know," he told her, smiling mischievously. He slid into the bench beside her, putting his arm around her shoulder.

Iris squirmed out from under his arm, moving as far away from him as she could, but he scooted closer.

Iris was ready to pull out her wand but Neville came to her defense, "Hey, leave her alone," he had pulled out his own wand and was now pointing it at Nott.

He raised his hands defensively, "Alright, alright. Easy Longbottom before you hurt yourself. I'll go." He looked at Iris, "Until next time," he walked off back to a table of Slytherins who were laughing.

Iris was bright red with anger, "Thank you," she told Neville.

"No problem, Iris," he said still watching Nott and the Slytherins.

They talked until it had gotten late. Iris was walking back towards the castle and noticed Harry, Ron and Hermione had headed in the same direction; a little further ahead of Harry, Katie Bell and her friend, Leanne where walking back as well; Katie was holding a brown parcel that was poorly wrapped.

Iris was looking up at the sky to watch the white snow fall down, leaving flecks of it on her face.

Suddenly, Iris heard and ear splitting scream; she looked to see Katie lying on the ground and Leanne screaming.

"I warned her. I warned her not to touch it!" Leanne said as Iris, Harry, Ron and Hermione had started off in a run towards Katie, who was writhing and screaming in the snow.

As Iris watched, Hagrid had come pushing through them, "Don't get any closer! Get back, all of you!" Hagrid lifted Katie's limp body off the ground.

Harry made to pick up the brown parcel that she had dropped. Iris saw a gleam of opal and silver. "Do not touch that, 'cept for the wrappings. Do yeh understand?" Hagrid said as he marched up towards the castle.

As all five of them headed for the castle after Hagrid, McGonagall came rushing out, ushering them up to her office. She ordered Filch to fetch Professor Snape so that he could examine the necklace.

Once up in McGonagall's office, the interrogation began, "You're sure that Katie did not have this in her possession when she entered the Three Broomsticks?"

"It's like I said. She left to go to the loo and when she came back she had the package. She said that it was important that she deliver it," Leanne recounted for McGonagall.

"Did she say to whom?"

"To Professor Dumbledore," Leanne confessed.

"Very well. Thank you Leanne, you may go," McGonagall said anxiously. She turned to look at them, "Why is when something happens, it is always you lot, with the exception of Miss Blackthorne?"

"Believe me, Professor, I've been asking myself the same question for six years," Ron said with a hint of humor in his voice.

"Oh, Severus," McGonagall said imploringly as Snape walked into the classroom.

Snape levitated the necklace in mid-air examining it carefully, "What do you think?" McGonagall asked fearfully.

"I think that Miss Bell is lucky to be alive," he said unenthused.

"She was cursed, wasn't she? I know Katie off the Quidditch pitch, she wouldn't hurt a fly. If she was delivering that to Dumbledore, she wasn't doing it knowingly," Harry interjected sharply.

"Yes, she was cursed," McGonagall told him woefully.

"It was Malfoy," Harry accused.

McGonagall and Snape both turned sharply towards him, "That is a very serious accusation, Potter," McGonagall scolded.

"Indeed," added Snape, "Your evidence?"

"I just know," Harry admitted.

"You just know? You astonish with your gifts, Potter. Gifts mere mortal can only dream of possessing. How grand it must be to be 'The Chosen One.' Snape observed.

"I suggest you go back to your dormitories. All of you," McGonagall advised.

As soon as Iris had reached the common room she pulled out a piece of parchment. She wrote George telling him that Katie had been cursed by an opal necklace that she was instructed to deliver to Dumbledore and that she had been taken to St. Mungo's. She wrote that she had not opened it yet and that he would have won the bet.

She sealed the letter and pointed her wand at it, 'Impervious,' as to protect it from the weather. Flute refused to fly the letter all the way to London in the snow storm so Iris had to wait until it cleared.

Meanwhile, Professor Slughorn had invited her to a dinner party on the twenty-fourth of November.

She arrived a few minutes late but nobody seemed to notice. During dessert is when Iris started paying attention to the conversations.

"So tell me, Cormac, do you see anything of your Uncle Tiberius these days?" Slughorn asked curiously.

"Yes, sir. In fact, I'm meant to go hunting with him and the Minister for Magic over the holidays," he told him.

"Well, well, well, be sure to give them both my best; and what about your uncle, Belby? For those of you who don't know, Marcus' uncle invented the Wolfsbane Potion. Is he working on anything new?"

"Don't know. He and my dad don't get on. Probably because me dad says potions are rubbish. Says the only potion worth having is a stiff one at the end of the day," Belby recounted, as he shoveled the ice-cream into his mouth.

"What about you, Miss Granger? What does your family do in the Muggle world?"

"My parents are dentists. They tend to people's teeth," She confessed.

"Fascinating. And is that considered a dangerous profession?"

"Well, no," she started, "Although, one boy, Robbie Fenwick, did bite my father once. He needed ten stitches." Everyone looked at her in confusion as if they had never heard of them.

Just then, the door opened and Ginny waked through. Her eyes were red as if she had been crying. She probably had another row with Dean.

"Ah, Miss Weasley, come in, come in," Slughorn greeted her.

"Sorry, I'm not usually late." As Ginny went to sit down, Harry stood up. Everyone was staring at him, Hermione only smirked.

"No matter; you're just in time for dessert, that is, if Belby's left you any," he laughed heartily to himself.

Soon after dessert had ended everyone had gotten up to leave, "Goodbye. Bye-bye," Slughorn called as they passed through the door.

Next mornings lesson was Herbology and they had been put in charge of Snargaluff plants and trying to harvest the pods.

It wasn't until later that Iris had gotten word that Slughorn was having a Christmas Party and that they were meant to bring someone.

She didn't know who she was going to take; if only George was still at Hogwarts, she would have taken him.


	87. Chapter 87

**Here you go! Let me know what you think :)**

As for Katie's replacement on the Quidditch team, Dean had been chosen. Seamus was happy for him but was also jealous.

Breakfast the morning of the first game had been a volatile affair for anyone on the Gryffindor team.

Slytherins were hissing and booing them at every turn. Nott had occasionally wolf-whistled at her in the hallway or during passing and was occasionally joined by several other Slytherins. What she would give to hex him. His sudden attraction with her was quite irksome and agitating.

Iris sat at the Gryffindor table, only a few seats away from Harry, Ron and Hermione. She saw Luna walk by with her giant lion head hat.

Iris noticed Harry slip something into Ron's drink without him seeing it and pondered what it could have been.

The game was going exceptionally well. Ron was saving everything that came his way with no difficulty. Harry even caught the Snitch in the end.

"Party up in the common room, Seamus said!" Dean shouted.

Iris shook her head and headed upstairs to GryffindorTower. By the time she had arrived it was already in progress. The music was blaring and everyone was eating and drinking themselves silly.

She didn't want to be part of it so she headed upstairs, but not before seeing Ron and Lavender Brown tangled in each others arms, full on snogging.

The weather was clear enough that Flute had accepted Iris's invitation to send her letter to George. He took off through the window and disappeared around the edge of the tower.

Slughorn's Christmas Party was within weeks and Iris still had no one to go with. She even wondered if she should go at all.

Finally she decided to take Seamus since Dean was already going with Ginny. Iris met him in the common room dressed in a vibrant red dress that was adorned with a white sash.

They walked to Slughorn's office where the party was to be held. Seamus and she had separated as they had planned. She had only asked him to save face.

Iris noticed that once inside the office looked completely different than it normally did.

"Iris, my dear girl," Slughorn said from behind her, "Come and join us, over here. Everyone this is Iris Blackthorne, the one I've been telling you about."

"Ah, Miss Blackthorne, it's nice to finally meet you. I knew your parents when they were just your age, if not younger," Iris shook hands with a stout man who was no taller than she.

Iris saw Snape lurking around the party when he was pulled into the conversation, along with Harry.

Slughorn was clearly tipsy from his mead and Iris was trying to find an excuse to leave. She tried to sidle out of view but Snape stopped her, "Leaving so soon, Miss Blackthorne? I would think that you would enjoy this sort of thing."

"Well, Professor I was simply going to get a drink," she blatantly lied, giving him her best innocent smile in hopes that he would believer her.

Before he could say anything, Filch burst through the door ushering Malfoy forward, "Take your hands off me, you filthy Squib!"

"Professor Slughorn, sir. I just discovered this boy lurking in an upstairs corridor. He claims to have been invited to your party," Filch informed.

"Okay, okay. I was gatecrashing. Happy?" Draco admitted feebly.

Snape gave Iris and unbelieving look from his dark eyes, turning towards Draco, "I'll escort him out."

"Certainly, Professor," Draco said unquestioningly.

With those words, they both left. To Iris's dismay, Nott had made his way over to stand behind Iris; apparently he had been invited by someone else.

"What a shame, he's so desperate that he has resorted to gatecrashing of all things," he said smugly.

"Shove off, Nott," Iris snapped walking away from him. She could hear him chuckle as she stormed off.

Slughorn had miraculously managed to throw her back into the conversation that he was in, introducing her to people that she never even met before.

After about an hour or so of being Slughorn's trophy to show off, Iris decided that it was time for her to leave.

"Excuse me, Professor, but I really must be getting back to my date," she lied again.

"Oh, but what happened to the Weasley boy?" he asked, clumsily spilling some of his drink.

"Oh, we're still together, I just asked Seamus to accompany me, as friends," she confessed.

"Ah, I see. Well, go and enjoy yourself," he said, swinging his arm, spilling more mead onto the floor.

Iris told Seamus that she was going up to bed and thanked him for coming along with her. She dressed for bed and was asleep soon after.

Iris was on the train headed back for King's Cross. She was suppose to be going to the Burrow for the holiday and couldn't wait to get there.

The trip back seemed to be taking longer than expected. She was still toying with the notion of whether to open the box or not. The bow had completely fallen off and the paper was becoming dull and frail.

Iris decided to just get it over with. She pealed the brittle wrapping to reveal a velvety box. The thought of an almost inescapable fate gripped her. She closed her eyes as she opened the small package.

She opened them after a moment of taking deep breathes and saw a small note attached to the top of the box. It read: 'I hope you think of me when you wear this. Love, George.'

Iris took the note in her hand and reread it a hundred times over. It wasn't until the tiny silver ring had caught her eye that she had stopped reading.

She gaped at the sterling silver halo that sat inside the velvet box. Her hand flew up to her mouth and her eyes started tearing up out of her immense happiness.

Iris picked up the ring and examined it. It was the most beautiful things she had ever seen or been given.

She was about to put it on but noticed words cut into it that read, _'Ever thine, Ever mine, Ever ours.'_ Iris's heart melted with the words, filling her up with elation, like a drink. She set the ring on her right ring finger and looked at it admiringly; it fit perfectly.

The Hogwarts Express had come to a slow lurch as it approached King's Cross. She had left the car with her luggage and headed for the Platform.


	88. Chapter 88

**I apologize if the chapters seem choppy or end in odd places. I wrote this as one big long story and didn't consider where the chapter breaks would be. But anyways, I hope you enjoy. Review and let me know what you think. Much appreciated :)**

The Weasley's were all waiting for Harry, Ron, Ginny and Iris. This time it wasn't as big of a welcome party as last time, instead only Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had come to meet them.

Mrs. Weasley hugged them all, "Oh, where did you get that, Iris, dear?" she asked catching sight of the ring, "It is very pretty," she said, examining it closer.

"Oh, it was a gift," Iris admitted.

"Well, good for you, dear."

They all departed for the Burrow. When they arrived Mrs. Weasley had put everyone to work. Harry and Ron had started to peel sprouts by hand and Iris had been asked to help prepare for dinner.

Harry and Ron had been talking under their breath to one another when Fred and George came in.

"Aaah, George, look at this. They're using knives and everything. Bless them," Fred began.

"I'll be seventeen in two and a bit months' time, and then I'll be able to do it by magic!" Ron told them gruffly.

"But meanwhile, we can enjoy watching you demonstrate the correct use of a-whoops-a-daisy!" George said placing his feet on the table, purposefully causing Ron's knife to slip.

"You made me do that! You wait, when I'm seventeen-," Ron said cynically, sucking his now cut finger.

"I'm sure you'll dazzle us all with hitherto of unsuspected magical skills," Fred said lazily.

"And speaking of hitherto of unsuspected skills, Ronald, what is this we hear from Ginny about you and a young lady called-Lavender Brown?" George teased.

"Mind your own business," Ron snapped, turning slightly pink.

"What a snappy retort. I really don't know how you think of them. No…what we wanted to know was…how did it happen?" Fred pressed on.

"What d'you mean?"

"Did she have an accident or something?"

"What?"

"Well, how did she sustain such extensive brain damage? Careful, now!" He waved his wand and the knife turned into a paper plane.

Mrs. Weasley came down just in time to see Ron chuck his knife at Fred, "Ron! Don't you ever let me see you throwing knives again!"

"I won't," he said, "let you see," he added under his breathe.

"Fred, George, I'm sorry, dears, but Remus is arriving tonight, so Bill will have to squeeze in with you two."

"No problem," George said, "But what about Iris?"

"She can have Percy's room. Then, as Charlie isn't coming home, that leaves Harry and Ron in the attic, and if Fleur shares with Ginny-."

"-that'll make Ginny's Christmas-," Fred murmured.

"-everyone should be comfortable. Well, they'll have a bed anyway," Mrs. Weasley concluded.

"Percy definitely not showing his ugly face, then?" Fred asked.

Mrs. Weasley walked over to Iris who was stirring a boiling pot of stew and looked into the steaming pot, "No, he's busy, I expect at the Ministry."

"Or he's the world's biggest prat. One of the two. Well, let's get going, then, George," Fred said as he made his way towards the door.

"What are you two up to? Can't you help us with these sprouts? You could just use your wands and then we'll be free too!" Ron pleaded.

"No I don't think we can do that. It's very character-building stuff, learning to peel sprouts with out magic, makes you appreciate how difficult it is for Muggles and Squibs-,"

"-and if you want people to help you, Ron, I wouldn't throw knives at them. Just a little hint," George said, throwing the paper plane at him, "We're off to the village, there's a pretty girl working in the paper shop who thinks my card tricks are something marvelous…almost like real…magic…" Iris could feel her insides boil as hot as the pot she was stirring with sudden jealousy.

"Gits. Would've only taken them ten seconds and then we could have gone too," Ron said forebodingly as the twins left.

Iris had finished stirring the vegetables' and let the pot simmer. She had headed up the bathroom on the second floor, opposite Fred and George's room. She stooped over the sink, looking at herself in the mirror.

Her hair was still a fiery flaming red but her eyes seemed a duller green then usual. She had large bags under her eyes that she hadn't noticed before. She could only pin point the evolving war as the cause.

She turned the cold tap on and splashed the chilled water on her face. Her face burned through the droplets red hot from the thought of George just being George. Iris knew it was stupid to get upset over it but she couldn't help it.

On Christmas Eve night, Iris was sitting with George on the couch. She had completely forgotten about the spurt of anger and jealousy she felt a few days ago.

George had picked up Iris's hand and noticed the silver ring that she never took off, "Aha, so you have opened it, at last."

"Yeah, I finally did on the train to King's Cross," she smiled, "I love it."

"I knew you would."

"You seem to know a lot of things, don't you?" she teased.

"What can I say," George said as he got up to play Exploding Snaps undercover of the loud radio with Fred and Ginny. Iris headed to bed not long after Mrs. Weasley had started handing out eggnog.

She woke up to a pile of presents at the end of her bed. She had gotten a new sweater from Mrs. Weasley, some new Weasley Wizard Wheezes products, and a wake-up call from Flute.

Downstairs, everyone was wearing their new sweaters. They were all enjoying lunch when Mrs. Weasley had stood up, "Arthur! Arthur-it's Percy! Arthur, he's-with the Minister!"

Everyone looked out the window to get a better look. The back door opened and Percy entered, "Merry Christmas, Mother," he said stiffly.

Mr. Weasley, Fred and George all watched him stony-faced. "Oh, Percy!" Mrs. Weasley cried, throwing herself onto him.

Scrimgeour leaned in the doorway, "You must forgive this intrusion. Percy and I were in the vicinity-working, you know-and he couldn't resist dropping in and visiting you all."

"We're only looking in for five minutes, so I'll have a stroll around the yard while you catch up with Percy. No, no, I don't want to butt in! Well, if anyone cares to show me around your charming garden…Ah, that young man's finished, why doesn't he take a stroll with me?" He was looking at Harry.

Harry got up from the table and left with the minister, leaving the rest of them alone with Percy. Mrs. Weasley continued to sob over him while the rest of the family had watched him reproachfully.

Iris saw Fred, George and Ginny raise a spoonful of mashed parsnips each. It happened almost in slow motion. They flung the parsnips through the air and Iris watched as they had all hit Percy, covering his horned-rimmed glasses and suit.

Mrs. Weasley, who had been crying from joy of Percy's return, had started to weep out of sadness and misery as Percy stormed from the house.

Most of the table sniggered under their breath but Iris couldn't see why they had to go and do that for.

When they were ready to depart for Hogwarts once again, Mrs. Weasley dissolved into tears, "Be good, all of you," she said through thick sobs.

"We promise," Iris told her as she left through the Floo Network. The Burrow whizzed out of site as she found herself standing in Dumbledore's office.


	89. Chapter 89

The new term started immediately and there was a new announcement on the Gryffindor notice board.

_APPARITION LESSONS:_

_If you are seventeen years of age or will turn seventeen on or before the thirty-first of August next. You are eligible for a twelve week course of Apparition lessons from a Ministry of Magic apparition instructor. Please sign below if you would like to participate. Cost: twelve Galleons._

Iris signed her name on the line provided. She was turning seventeen on the thirtieth of January.

The first lesson was to be held on a Saturday in the Great Hall. When Iris arrived on the scene, the tables had disappeared and all the Heads of Houses were present. A short man stood in the front of the room.

"Good morning. My name is Wilkie Twycross and I shall be your Ministry Apparition instructor for the next twelve weeks. I hope to be able to prepare you for your apparition test in time-,"

"Malfoy, be quiet and pay attention!" McGonagall barked.

"-by which time, many of you may be ready to take your test." Twycross continued, "As you may know it is usually impossible to Apparate or Disapparate within Hogwarts. The Headmaster has lifted this enchantment, purely within the Great Hall, for one hour, so as to enable you to practice. May I emphasize that you will not be able to Apparate outside the walls of this Hall, and that you would be unwise to try."

"I would like each of you to place yourselves now so that you have a clear five feet of space in front of you," Twycross instructed from the front of the room.

Iris placed herself in front of some Hufflepuffs but they were abruptly pushed away by a gang of Slytherins, led by Nott.

"Nice legs, Blackthorne. When do they open?" Nott harassed.

"Wouldn't you like to know-," Iris started scathingly.

Snape was patrolling nearby and clearly heard, "Quiet," he said glaring at them both.

"Thank you. Now, then…," He waved his wand and wooden hoops appeared in front of them.

"The important things to remember when Apparating are the three D's! Destination, Determination and Deliberation!" Twycross said.

"Step one: Fix your mind firmly on the desired destination. In this case, the interior of the hoop in front of your hoop. Kindly concentrate on the destination now."

"Step two: focus your determination to occupy the visualized space! Let your yearning to enter it flood you from your mind to every particle of your body!" Twycross shouted enthusiastically.

"Step three: and only when I give the command…turn on the spot, feeling your way through nothingness, moving with deliberation! On my command, now…one-two." Iris hadn't focused on her hoop or thought of her destination nor cared about moving forward into it with deliberation. She was more concerned about Nott being behind her.

"Three!" Iris spun without thought and almost fell over. She looked around and found that she wasn't the only one. She saw Ernie Macmillan do a pirouetted leap into his hoop. Iris suppressed a painful laugh unlike Dean Thomas.

"Never mind, never mind. Adjust your hoop, please and back to your original positions…" Twycross said dismissing the failed attempt.

The second attempt was no better and neither was the third. The fourth attempt was a little more interesting.

There was a wail of pain as everyone turned to look. Iris was greeted by the sight of Susan Bones, separated from her leg. The Heads of Houses had all rushed to her. With a puff of smoke and a great bang, Susan was reunited with her leg.

"Splinching or the separation of random body parts occurs when the mind is not sufficiently determined. You must concentrate continuously upon your destination and move, without haste, but with deliberation…thus." Twycross turned on the spot, vanishing, then reappeared at the back of the Hall.

"Remember the three D's and try again…one-two-three-."  
By the end of the hour, nobody had gotten any farther. Twycross lazily waved his wand and the hoops disappeared, "Until next Saturday, everybody, and do not forget: Destination, Determination and Deliberation."

As soon as Twycross left the Great Hall, escorted by Professor McGonagall, talking erupted.

Iris made her way towards the exit when Nott walked up behind her and put his arm around her waist, pinning him to her, "You really should learn to watch your pretty little mouth," he said cockily.

Iris was itching to reach for her wand but couldn't reach it without him knowing, "Well maybe you should watch yours before you go telling other people to watch theirs," she snapped venomously.

"Oooh, not very friendly, Blackthorne," he said acting as if he was hurt.

Iris saw Pansy walk by with Draco. They both looked at her and Nott. She could hear Pansy's shrill snorting laughter as they passed.

Iris started to struggle against him and finally got her hands free, shoving him away from her, "Get off of me!" she shouted. She caught sight of Professor Snape watching them.

"For now," Nott said forcefully, walking away from her. Iris watched him go and decided that when it was safe to go up to the Gryffindor common room.

By the third Apparition lesson, more and more people where Splinching themselves but was none the less most frustrating.


	90. Chapter 90

Iris didn't see Ron in class or during breaks in the common room for quite awhile. It wasn't until Ginny had told her that Ron had been poisoned that she found out.

The next Quidditch match was approaching and McLaggen had taken Ron's spot as Keeper temporarily. Harry was constantly yelling at McLaggen saying that he was captain, not him.

Luna Lovegood was commentating for the game. Zacharias Smith had failed to keep hold of the quaffle and Luna had told said something about him having "Loser's Lurgy."

McLaggen had grabbed Peake's beaters bat out of his hand and was trying to show him how to hit an oncoming Bludger. Instead of McLaggen hitting the Bludger at Cadwallader it misfired and collided with Harry, knocking him off his broom. Coote had caught him before he had hit the ground. Harry was rushed off to the Hospital Wing where he was being treated for a cracked skull.

By the seventh Apparition lesson, Iris had finally managed to Apparate into her hoop successfully three times. Many others had also managed to get the hang of it by this time.

Coming back from dinner one night, Iris saw a new notice saying that the Apparition test would be held on the twenty-first of April and those who wouldn't be seventeen yet could sign up for extra lessons.

Iris filed out of the castle along with the rest of the sixth years that had turned seventeen. She made her way to Hogsmeade were the test was to take place.

When it was her turn, Iris stood in the marked spot and turned with great success and reappeared on the marker at the other end. She had passed.

The next day Iris came down to the common room to Lavender screaming at Ron as they were in the process of breaking it off.

Iris shook her head at them and continued on her way to the Owlery to send a much needed letter to George.

On her way back from giving Flute her letter, Iris walked by the boy's bathroom on the second floor. She could distinctly hear shouting from within, "No! No! Stop it! Stop! STOP!" a girl was screaming.

Iris had started to push open the door but stopped when she heard porcelain hitting the wet tile floor.

She heard the incantation, 'SECTUMSEMPRA!' one that she had never heard before. Iris could hear the distinct sound of someone fall to the floor. Iris rushed in, finding Malfoy soaked in his own blood and Harry on his knees beside her.

Harry looked up at her, terrified of what he'd just done, "No-I didn't-." He was shaking with panic.

Iris stood there with her mouth gaped open at the scene. Moaning Myrtle, who had apparently witnessed the entire thing and was the source of the girl screaming, starting shrieking, "MURDER! MURDER IN THE BATHROOM! MURDER!"

Within moments, Snape had come bursting in. He came hurriedly to Draco's side, pushing Harry out of the way. He muttered an incantation and Iris watched as the blood drew back into Malfoy's body.

By the third repetition of the spell, Snape had lifted Malfoy up and was supporting him, "You need the Hospital Wing. There may be certain amounts of scarring, but if you take dittany immediately we might avoid even that...Blackthorne, come…,"

Iris didn't dare disobey and moved towards the door. Snape handed Draco off onto her for support, "Head to the Hospital Wing."

"And you, Potter…You wait here for me," Snape said coldly. Iris had already started making her way towards the Hospital Wing with Draco when Snape reappeared.

Once at the Hospital Wing, Madam Pomfrey relieved Iris of Malfoy, helping him on a hospital bed, "Thank you, dear."

"Wait outside," Snape said darkly.

Iris left the room, closing the door behind her.

Snape soon reappeared in front of her, "Explain your self."

"I was on my way back from the Owlery when I heard someone screaming from the bathroom and-"

"-and you thought that you would investigate?" Snape finished for her.

"Yes, sir," Iris said weakly under his dark gaze.

"Very well, I'd advise that you go back to your House before there is anything else you wish to inspect."

Iris obeyed once more and made her way to GryffindorTower. In the common room, Harry rushed in through the portrait hole, "Where've you-? Why are you soaking-? Is that blood?" Hermione asked hurriedly.

"I need your book. Your Potions book. Quick…give it to me…" he demanded Ron.

"What about the Half-Blood-?" Ron asked quickly.

"I'll explain later!" Harry said taking the book from Ron's outstretched hand, rushing out of the portrait hole as fast as he came.

Iris didn't see Harry until the next day. He tried to avoid her gaze.


	91. Chapter 91

Gryffindor had their last Quidditch game of the season against Ravenclaw. Harry was put in detention until the end of term by Snape for what he did to Malfoy. Ginny had taken his place as Seeker and Dean took Ginny's place as Chaser.

They were all celebrating in the common room for their victory, four hundred-fifty to one hundred-forty.

Iris saw Ginny run at Harry and kiss him as he returned from his detention. There was a roar of cheers from everyone. Several people wolf-whistled and giggled at the sight while Dean had broken his glass and Romilda Vane, a girl who had been rumored to be trying to slip Harry a Love Potion, looked as if she was going to hurl something.

June was already on its way in when Iris finally realized that her sixth year was almost over. She was headed to a particularly unpleasant Defense Against the Dark Arts Class.

She had turned a corner when she hear someone call to her, "Where you going, Blackthorne?" they said loudly. Iris looked behind her to see Nott, alone.

"What do you want, Nott?" she said hotly.

"How about you?" he said, as he grabbed her arms and pinned her up against the wall of the empty corridor.

Iris feverishly tried to escape but it was all in vain; he was much stronger and bigger than her. His breath was hot and damp on her face as he panted from trying to restrain her.

"Let go of me!" Iris tried to thrash around once more. She could feel the pressure that he held on her wrist double as she said this.

He leaned in and kissed her hungrily. Iris began to whimper in protest but he just pressed harder.

She was still writhing in his grip when she had kneed him as her last resort. Nott immediately recoiled in pain but returned just as fast with his wand at her throat. Iris began to scream, tears now welling up in her emerald eyes, "Help me! Somebody-!"

Her words were cut short by Nott jabbing his wand deeper into her neck. A tear had escaped and trailed its way down her face.

Nott noticed, "Aw, are you crying? Too bad Weasley's not here to save you." All Iris could think was that he was right.

She closed her eyes preparing for the worst to happen but it never came. The pressure on her wrists had alleviated and the strain of Nott's wand disappeared.

She opened her eyes to see Professor Snape yanking Nott off of her and forcefully threw him down the corridor, "Go to the Headmasters office, now! I will deal with you, later!" McGonagall had also come to investigate the screams.

Iris brought her hands up to her tear streaked face, trying to hide out of embarrassment. McGonagall had come over to her and placed her arms around her in a comforting way.

"Oh, my dear; It's alright now," she said consoling Iris. Once Iris had wiped away her tears, she looked up to see Professor Snape looking at her concernedly, "Let's take you to the Hospital Wing, to Madam Pomfrey."

"No, it's alright Professor, really, I'm fine," Iris reassured her. She was more shaken than hurt. Iris watched as the purple bruises started to form on her wrists but hid them so they wouldn't make her go.

"Are you sure, dear?"

"Yes, I'll be fine, Professor."

McGonagall looked at her skeptically, "Well, alright but I'm writing a letter to Mrs. Weasley about this. Severus would you please escort, Miss Blackthorne to her next lesson?" Iris wanted to protest McGonagall writing to Mrs. Weasley but didn't dare do so.

"Of course," he said coarsely. Snape turned on the spot and headed for his classroom, Iris trailing behind.

Once she arrived in class, escorted by Snape, people started shooting whispers back and forth to each other. Iris could only imagine what they were all saying.

Snape had resumed with the lesson. He seemed more subdued than usual and everyone seemed to notice.

Iris caught Harry and many others, staring at the now clearly visible bruises on her hands and the spot on her neck. She put her head down on top of them to conceal them from everyone else.

Iris could hear snippets of the conversational whispers being passed around, 'Was she the one that screamed?' 'What happened to her?' 'Why did she come in late? And with Snape?' She tried to ignore them all the best she could.

Iris received an outraged letter from Mrs. Weasley about the attack, saying that she wanted to bring her right home but McGonagall said that she would be safely watched over for the rest of the year. She had also written that George was in a fit state to come to Hogwarts and take her back himself.

Iris missed George terrible and always caught herself playing with her ring, frequently taking it off to read the inscription, _'Ever thine, Ever mine, Ever ours.'_ She had only wished that he was still here then none of this would have happened.


	92. Chapter 92

As of late, Iris had been missing the D.A. meetings more and more and apparently she wasn't the only one. She kept her fake Galleon in her pocket at all times now.

Iris's wish had come true as her Galleon burned in her pocket. She was positive that she wasn't the only one who was wishing for it to happen.

Iris ran down the dormitory stairs to find Neville, Ginny, Ron and Hermione, "Let's go," Hermione said sullenly.

They all readied their wands and ran out of the portrait hole. Luna almost collided with them when they came out of the portrait hole.

"Alright, we're going to split up. Hermione and Luna, you go down to the dungeons and watch for Snape. Ginny, Neville, Iris, you are coming with me and we're going to the Room of Requirement to head off Malfoy. Since he wasn't on the Marauder's Map, he must be there," Ron instructed.

They headed off in different directions. Once they reached the Room of Requirement, Ron advised, "Ready your wands just in case, alright."

Iris pointed her wand at the wall that harbored the door to the room. They didn't wait very long before Draco came out of the materializing doors.

He was checking for the coast to be clear and saw them. Suddenly the air filled with a blanket of pure darkness. Iris could hear the others shouting spells to improve their sight but nothing seemed to be working.

They ran through the smog of black and ran into Lupin, Tonks and Bill. They explained everything as they found the Death Eaters heading in the direction of the AstronomyTower.

Lupin and Bill were throwing hexes and the Death Eaters scattered as they gave chase.

They all came to a stand still at the foot of the AstronomyTower. One of the Death Eaters had managed to escape the scrimmage, running up the spiral set of steps.

Most of the Death Eater's hoods had fallen off and there masks removed. Iris heard the unmistakable voice of Snape, "Its over, time to go!"

Iris was too busy dodging jinxes and curses to see him fully but caught sight of his billowing black cloak. Her view was obscured but she thought that she seen a boy with silver blond hair following closely behind.

She stunned one of the Death Eaters momentarily but was now locked in combat with Fenrir Greyback, the werewolf. He was far more advanced that she was and was easily going to overtake her when Harry appeared. Fenrir launched himself at Harry, pinning him to the ground. Moments later, Greyback was lying motionless on the floor.

Iris watched as Professor McGonagall, Lupin and Tonks joined the fray. Harry jinxed another Death Eater causing him to fly out of sight behind McGonagall and Ron.

Tonks was in the midst of fighting a large blond Death Eater who was sending multiple curses out of his wand that were bouncing off the walls.

Iris turned her back to fire another hex at a stout cloaked female but misfired. In the middle of her misfire, Iris had hit a bit of wall that came tumbling down. The Death Eater covered her head in her hands and ran in the same direction as Snape. The Death Eater that flew out of sight reappeared, chasing after her.

She had barely turned around when she felt something strike her in the chest. Iris could feel herself being lifted off the ground into the dust filled air. She hit the opposite wall with a sickening thud. Everything went black.

Iris woke up, lying on the floor of the demolished corridor. The dust was still settling on the ground in thick waves.

She propped herself up on her arms but her right leg buckled under her weight. A stab of intense pain shot through her arm as she tried to put herself upright.

Iris could hear someone moving towards her; she groped for her wand that lay a few feet away. Once she had her wand the person came into view, she saw that Lupin was the one walking through.

"Iris?" he said cautiously as he approached. He looked down at her, examining her apparent injuries.

"I think I broke my arm," she said distractedly. She tried to get to her feet using Lupin as a support.

They headed for the Hospital Wing where Iris saw Ginny, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Tonks, McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey, who was tending to someone in a bed at the end of the ward. She looked around and found Professor Flitwick and Neville lying in hospital beds.


	93. Chapter 93

She hobbled into the room leaning on Lupin who had set her on an empty bed next to the person at the end of the wing. Iris gasped when she saw that it was Bill Weasley lying motionless in the bed. He brandished great gashes on his face that were dabbed with a harsh smelling paste.

Madam Pomfrey had pushed her way over to Iris and was examining her arm, "What happened to Bill?"

"Greyback attacked him. Now hold still while I mend this, 'Brackium Emendo!'" Madam Pomfrey confided. She started dabbing at a gash on Iris's forehead, "Now drink this and you should fall asleep soon."

Iris sat up and listened to the conversation at hand as she drank the tasteless concoction, "Ron-Dumbledore's dead," Ginny said.

"No!" Lupin had shouted, looking from Harry to Ginny and back again. He collapsed into a chair next to the bed.

Iris looked away but continued to listen. She felt her face grow hot and tears forming in her eyes.

"How did he die? How did it happen?" Tonks asked quietly.

"Snape killed him-," she could hear Harry say as she fell asleep as Madam Pomfrey promised.

Iris could hear a lamenting song of beautiful sorrow cast through her dreamless sleep. The song was over before it began and Iris found herself missing its melodic heartbreaking tune.

Lessons had been suspended and exams had been deferred. Many of the students had been taken home before the funeral. The Patil twins had been gone before the morning after while Seamus had refused to leave with his mother.

Madam Maxime had arrived and thrown herself onto Hagrid while the Minister of Magic had presented himself for the occasion and was being accommodated inside the castle as everyone else had to find residence in Hogsmeade.

Iris had already packed for the trip home. Even Flute had seemed to feel the bereavement in the air. She was dressed in her dress robes of black.

Everyone who had come to attend the final goodbye to Albus Dumbledore had seated themselves in the hundreds of white chairs. All of them faced the lake; a table lay stretched out in front of them.

Iris was amazed at how many people had come to say goodbye. She looked around and saw Kingsley Shacklebolt, Mad-Eye Moody, Tonks, Lupin, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Bill supported by Fleur, Fred and George, Madam Maxime, Tom from the Leaky Cauldron, and an assortment of people from Hogsmeade.

Iris sat on the other side of the aisle several seats behind Fred, George, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. She could see George looking for her but hid from sight.

The air was suddenly filled with the song of Merpeople, shimmering in the lake water. Iris bowed her head and waited for the ceremony to start; tears welling in her eyes.

She looked up only moments later to see a half giant walking past. She could hear the lamenting sobs of Hagrid as he carried Dumbledore down the aisle. His face was bright red, puffy and swollen with tears. He placed Dumbledore's body on the stone slab and took his seat.

A short man with tufty hair had come to the front of them. He had starting speaking about Dumbledore. Iris wasn't really listening. She was more thinking about what was going to happen now that Dumbledore was gone.

Once the man had finished his speech he resumed his seat. Iris waited for someone else to take his place but no one did. Instead the table exploded into white flames that rose higher and higher into the air shielding Dumbledore's body. Many people screamed. When they had extinguished themselves a white picturesque marble tomb appeared where the table had once stood.

Iris heard more people shout as arrows hurtled through the air, falling short of the crowd. She looked for the source and saw the centaurs standing resolute, masked by the trees of the ForbiddenForest.

Everyone sat in silence for a moment longer before getting up. Iris steadied herself by holding onto the back of the chair in front of her.

She couldn't believe that Dumbledore wasn't going to greet them every new year or say farewell as they left. He was never again going to offer them guidance when they most needed it. There seemed to be a void that she hadn't noticed before.

Iris stood alone for several moments before the Weasley's had all swooped down on her.

George hugged her tightly, kissing her forehead as she wrapped her arms around his. Mrs. Weasley swept the hair out of her eyes as she started to cry again. When George finally released her Fred hugged her, then Mrs. Weasley.

"We heard that they are thinking of closing the school," Mr. Weasley contributed to the silence.

"Well, I wouldn't be surprised if they did. It might be the best for you not to go next year, dear," Mrs. Weasley told her.

"If they are reopening, I am going back. I have to," Iris told her, trying not to sound argumentative.

"We'll see. Now, let's get you home. We have to start planning a wedding," Mrs. Weasley said, desperately trying to sound cheerful.

Iris left with them as they headed back to the Burrow after the funeral. Everything was going to be different whether Hogwarts reopened or not.

**There you have it. The end of year 6. Time to move on to the good stuff.**


	94. Seventh Year

**The final year. We are almost done! Review and let me know what you think. I am always happy to here from my readers.**

The cool summer breeze brushed Iris's cheek as she sat by a small creek in the woods by the Burrow. The sun was splintered by the trees, across the surface of the brook and the green leaves that littered the forest floor.

The water was meandering its way over the smooth rocks that it held. A few water skimmers where gliding over the still parts of the water as she sat on the creeks edge.

Iris hadn't remembered being this relaxed since before her sixth year. She was starting to worry that she would never feel the same after what had happened only a month ago at Hogwarts.

She had remembered coming to this spot when George brought her after they had gotten back from the funeral. Everything seemed to pass in a single blur of emotion. Iris couldn't remember when she had last really been happy. There were always going to be memories but sometimes she felt they weren't good enough.

She dipped her fingers into the stream only to be met with a refreshing coolness. Iris closed her eyes and listened to the running water and singing birds; holding her knees close to her chest.

She could faintly hear the sound of rustling leaves and the footfalls of someone approaching but didn't dare open her eyes to see who it was.

The entity sat beside her and went silent. They sat in desolate stillness for long moments before she could hear a deep sigh, "Mum says it's time for dinner." She opened her eyes and saw Fred sitting close to her. He didn't look at her but instead was contemplating the canopy of shaded trees above them.

They remained planted to the ground, entranced by the sad songs of the crickets and birds.

Fred was the first one to get up. He offered his hand to her and she took it without another thought. Fred slung his arm around her shoulder and they headed back towards the way that was the Burrow.

Remus, Tonks, and Mad-eye had been situated in the living room when they walked in. Iris saw Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, George, Ginny, Ron, Hermione, Bill and Fleur all standing nearby. Fred dropped his arm from her and joined the collection of people.

Mad-Eye spoke first, "Sit." Iris obeyed; her mind racing with the thought of what they could possible want from her. "I am sure that you are aware that Potter is to be moved here on the twenty-seventh of this month." Iris wasn't aware of anything and looked over at the gander of Weasley's, looking at each and every one of them, lingering a split second longer on George.

"We need you to help in the moving," Mad-Eye said, "The plan is that the Order, you and I will all go to Four Privet Drive to remove Potter. Once that is done we will all head to separate locations and return to the Burrow using Portkeys."

"What we need from you is to take Polyjuice potion like the rest of us and turn into Harry. Then you will fly ahead before we all leave with him in hopes to draw whoever is out there away. You will head straight for the Burrow by way of broom," Lupin further elaborated.

"It will just be me?" Iris asked half-heartedly.

"Yes, only you. You have to understand, this is extremely crucial for this to work," Lupin told.

Iris looked down at the floor. "We have fought long and hard to get this far," Tonks asked as she looked over at Mrs. Weasley. "Will you help us?"

After a long pause, "I'll do it," she said hollowly. Iris heard a sharp intake of breath as Mrs. Weasley left for the kitchen. Everyone else let out a sigh of great relief.

"Alright then, we will be leaving at eight. If everything goes smoothly then we will be back here within an hour," Moody chimed in gruffly.

Soon after everyone left, leaving Iris, Hermione, Fleur and the Weasley's to eat dinner. It was a quiet meal and almost nobody talked.

Iris didn't feel much like eating so she excused herself and headed up to her room to lie down. She was striving for sleep but it was disrupted by someone creeping into the dark filled room.

She had her back to the door so she couldn't see who it was but knew as soon as they settled on the bed next her; lying beside her, covering her with their arms.

George was holding her tight as she configured her body to fit into his. They lay in silence until she fell asleep in his arms.

The day of the twenty-seventh had come faster than anything Iris could have remembered.

She walked outside the Burrow and saw a giant motorcycle and side car, Bill, Fleur, Hermione and Kingsley all sitting on something high above the ground that she couldn't see. The thought of the invisible winged horses surfaced vaguely in her mind.

Ron, Fred, George, Mr. Weasley, Lupin, Tonks, Moody and Mundungus were all holding broomsticks. Iris came forward with her broom and mounted it.

"Head for Privet Drive!" Moody barked over the high whistle of the wind. Moments later they all kicked off from the ground and zoomed through the air.

Iris had never been to good flying on a broom but was managing to keep up with the rest of them without falling off.

The breeze was harshly rushing past her as she soared through the air to Little Whinging.

They all landed with a great THUD and dismounted. Hagrid, Ron and Hermione led the way to the door of number Four.

Iris saw Harry answer the door as Ron and Hermione embraced him in a hug. Hagrid was standing aside for them, "Hello 'Arry! You're looking fit."

"Yes, he's absolutely gorgeous! Let's get undercover before someone murders him!" Moody barked, hoarse from the wind.

Iris followed everyone into the house and into the vacant living room. Moody had dropped a large bag of clothes on the floor and was checking all of the doors and windows.

Iris situated herself on the opposite side of the room from Fred and George, near Hagrid and Kingsley. Moody came blazing his way to the front of the room, "Potter, your still underage, which means you've still got the trace on you."

"What's the trace?" Harry asked.

"If you sneeze the Ministry will know who wipes your nose, the point is that we've got to use those means of transport the trace can't detect. Brooms, Thestrals and the like; we'll go in pairs. All except for Blackthorne, she will scout ahead for us. That way if anyone's out there waiting for us, and I reckon there will be, they won't know which Harry Potter is the real one," Moody said, pulling out a flask from his jacket pocket.

"The real one?" Harry questioned.

"I believe you're familiar with this particular brew?"

"No, no absolutely not!" Harry refused.

"Told you he'd take it well," Hermione added.

"No, if you think I'm going to let everyone risk their lives for me, I-," Harry started.

"Never done that before have we?" Ron muttered.

"No, this is different. Taking that, becoming me…"

"Well, none of us really fancy it mate," George confessed.

"Yeah, imagine if something went wrong we'd be a scrawny specky git forever," Fred said sarcastically.

"Everyone here is of age Potter. They've all agreed to take the risks," Moody butted back in.

"Ahem, techniqually, I've been coheres," Mundungus Fletcher interjected.

"Nip it Mundungus! Alright Granger, as discussed," Moody said.

Hermione moved forward and yanked out some of Harry's hair and placed it into the flask. "Blimey Hermione!" Harry yelped as she pulled his hair.

Iris watched as the potion started to bubble and fizz. "For those of you who have never taken Polyjuice Potions, fair warning it tastes like Goblin piss," Moody stated as he passed the flask to Fred.

"Have lots of experience with that, Mad-Eye?" Fred asked almost half seriously. Moody looked at him as if he was going to hit him. "Just trying to diffuse the tension," he said as he took a large swig and passed it.

Iris watched as Fred and George had shrunk down about a foot and a half and saw their faces morphing into a likeliness of Harry.

As Hermione passed the bottle to her she hesitated a moment but took a sip. She could feel her self shrinking a few inches and her face was stretching and changing.

Once she had stopped feeling the sensation of her transformation, she looked around to see everyone in their own clothes with the appearance of Harry.

"Wow, we're identical," the Harry's standing in Fred and George's clothes had said together.

"Not yet you're not," Mad-Eye said picking up the bag of clothes and dumped it out to reveal matching outfits.

"Haven't got anything a bit more sporting have you?" George asked, picking up one of the red shirts from the floor.

"Yeah, I really don't fancy this color," Fred added.

"Well fancy this, you're not you so shut it and strip," Moody demanded.

Iris didn't waste anytime in changing because she was going to be the first one to leave. She put on the shirt, jacket and pants.

"Blackthorne? Where are you?"

"I'm here," she said beside Hermione.

"We'll give you a ten minute head start. You best prepare yourself," Mad-Eye told her.

"Alright we'll be pairing off; each Potter will have a protector. Mundungus you stick tight to me, I want to keep an eye on you. As for Harry…," Moody directed to everyone else.

"Yes?" Everyone chimed in unison.

"The real Harry. Where the devil are you anyway?" His magical eye searching the crowd.

"Here," Iris heard one of the Harry's say.

"You will be riding with Hagrid."

Iris made her way to the front door alone. She went to turn the door knob but was stopped by another one of the various Harry's. She didn't know who it was but had an idea.

"It's me," George said quietly.

Iris smiled at him through her round glasses. She wrapped her arms so tightly around him as he did the same, "Be safe."

"You too," he whispered into her ear. Tears were welling up in her eyes as she left through the front door.

She mounted her broom and looked back at the house and could see Mad-Eye looking out the window at her, giving her a nod, telling her that it was time to leave.


	95. Chapter 95

She kicked off from the ground and soared forward through the night air. She was gradually making her way to the Burrow when she saw hooded black figures zooming past her, shooting curses and hexes.

She swerved, narrowly missing a bright green curse that could have been the end of her, had she been hit. Iris desperately was careening out of the way of several Death Eaters. All she could think about was that if she got knocked off her broom she would surely not live to tell about it.

One of the larger Death Eaters had grabbed hold of her broom tail and had set it on fire. Her broom was losing velocity and height as the tail end of the broomstick was breaking away in the fiery trail that was left behind.

She could see her destination only moments away and prayed that she would last that long.

Iris looked back to see that the tail was almost completely gone when she had started to spiral out of control towards the ground. She braced herself for the impact that came all too quickly.

She woke up in the corn field by the Burrow and was showered in splinters from the shattered broomstick. She had raised her hands up to her face to take the glasses off and felt that she had turned back to herself. She didn't know how long she had been laying there but thought that she should head for the Burrow.

She stood up and felt warm blood on her forehead again. Her thoughts where brought back to the previous school year when she had been thrown into the crumbling wall of a Hogwarts corridor. Iris shook the thought from her mind and limped back towards the Burrow.

Mrs. Weasley and Ginny must have seen her crash and were running frantically around looking for her, "IRIS!" Mrs. Weasley yelled as she saw her emerge from the field.

She was embraced in a tight suffocating hug, "Are you okay?" she demanded.

"Yeah, I think so," Iris said, "Where is everyone else?"

"Well, lets get you inside," Mrs. Weasley said ignoring her question, helping her inside. She set her down on a chair adjacent to the couch.

Moments later Lupin was supporting one of the twins as he entered the living room, placing them on the couch. Iris immediately got up from her seat and rushed over to them.

She almost cried out loud when she saw it was George. She covered her mouth to stop herself. Mrs. Weasley had been quicker than her and Iris could hear her whispering reassurances to herself.

Iris fell to the floor beside Mrs. Weasley and was looking over his body. Her emerald eyes rested on the side of his head where his ear used to be. It was now replaced with caked blood and his red hair. She grabbed onto his hand in desperation, tears now pouring down her face.

Behind Iris there was a commotion. She looked behind her and saw Lupin, pinning Harry to the wall; his wand pointed at his throat, "What creature sat in the corner of my office the first time that Harry Potter visited my office at Hogwarts?"

"A Grindylow!" Harry said panicking.

"We've been betrayed. Voldemort knew you were being moved tonight," Lupin revealed.

The sound of someone else arriving drew everyone besides Iris, George and Mrs. Weasley outside.

Soon after, everyone had seemed to return except Mr. Weasley, Fred, Mundungus and Mad-Eye. The sound of more people brought the feeling of relief as Mr. Weasley and Fred rushed in to see George.

Fred fell to his knees beside Iris. His expression was that of fear and horror. George stirred at the sound of Fred's voice, "How do you feel, Georgie?"

George made to point at his missing ear, "Saint-like."

"Come again?" Fred asked unsure of what his brother just said.

"Saint-like, I'm holey Fred. Get it?"

"The whole wide world of ear related humor and you go for I'm holey? That's pathetic."

"I reckon I'm still better looking than you though," George chuckled faintly.

Bill came in, disturbing the moment, "Mad-Eye's dead." Everyone looked around at him in shock. Even Fred and George had stopped joking around at the news.

Iris felt a deep pang in her chest. It hurt to think that more people where dying for what they believed in than for no reason at all.

With a wave of his wand, Bill had conjured a bottle of Firewhiskey and several glasses. They filled themselves and floated to each person still standing in the room. Iris took hers but didn't feel like drinking it.

"Mad-Eye," Bill toasted.

"Mad-Eye," everyone echoed.

"Mad-Eye," Iris whispered to herself after the echo and gulped down her drink in one.

"So Mundungus disappeared?" Lupin asked behind his now empty glass. The room tensed up at once at the question.

"I know what you're thinking and I wondered the same thing too, on the way back, because they seemed to be expecting us, didn't they? But Mundungus couldn't have betrayed us. They didn't know there were going to be several Harrys, that confused them the moment we appeared, and in case you forgot, it was Mundungus who suggested a little skullduggery. Why wouldn't he have told them the essential point? I think Dung panicked, simple as that. He didn't want to come in the first place, Mad-Eye made him and You-Know-Who went straight for them. It was enough to make anyone panic," Bill revealed.

"You-Know-Who acted exactly how Mad-Eye expected him to. Mad-Eye said he'd expect Harry to be with the toughest, most skilled Aurors. He chased Made-Eye and when Mundungus gave them away he switched to Kingsley…," Tonks said through sniffs.

"Yes, and zat eez all very good but still eet does not explain 'ow zey knew we were moving 'Arry tonight, does eet? Somebody must'ave been careless. Somebody let slip ze date to an outsider. It is zee only explanation for zem knowing ze date but not ze'ole plan," Fleur looked for someone to contradict her but no one did.

Iris turned away from the group and looked at George who looked back at her. He lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed it gentle. She looked away from him as tears started to fill her eyes again.

She couldn't bare the thought that she could have lost him tonight. Iris didn't want to think about it but it seemed to be all she could.

"No. I mean…of someone made a mistake and let something slip; I know they didn't mean to. We've got to trust each other. I trust all of you, I don't think anyone in this room would sell me out to Voldemort," Harry said loudly, drawing everyone's attention to him.

"Well said, Harry," Fred said raising his glass.

"Yeah, 'ear 'ear," George chimed, stealing a glance at his brother who was trying to suppress a crooked smile.

Iris looked up at Harry and Lupin to see there exchange, "You think I'm a fool?" Harry demanded hotly.

"No, I think you're like James who would have regarded it the height of dishonor to mistrust his friends," Lupin confessed as he turned away from him. "There is work to do. I can ask Kingsley whether-."

"No. I'll do it. I'll come," Bill said at once.

"Where are you going?" Fleur and Tonks asked simultaneously.

"Mad-Eye's body, we need to recover it," Lupin said, looking at the floor.

Iris didn't think that it would have been such a good idea to go looking for it now, especially when they all just got back.

"Can't it wait?" Iris asked pleadingly.

"Wait? Not unless you'd rather the Death Eaters took it," Bill said, ending the matter before anyone else could protest.

Bill and Lupin left without hesitation saying their good-byes to everyone. Iris watched everyone that remained in the Burrow's living room settle into a chair.


	96. Chapter 96

It was a few moments before anyone else spoke. Iris looked back over at George who was laying in silence, much like everyone else. She stroked his face ever so lightly and she could hear him take a deep relaxing breath.

"I've got to go," Harry stated suddenly. Everyone turned to him with perplexed looks.

"Don't be silly, Harry. What are you talking about?" Mrs. Weasley said breathlessly.

"I can't stay here. You're all in danger while I'm here. I don't want-."

"But don't be silly! The whole point of tonight was to get you here safely, and thank goodness it worked. And Fleur's even agreed to have the wedding here rather than France, we've arranged everything so that we can all stay together and look after you-," Mrs. Weasley said.

"If Voldemort finds out I'm here-."

"But why should he?" Iris spoke up.

"There are a dozen places that you might be now, Harry," Mr. Weasley said, "He's got no way of knowing what safe house you're in."

"It's not me I'm worried for!" Harry said agitated.

"We know that, but it would make our efforts tonight seem rather pointless if you left," Mrs. Weasley said softly.

"Yer not goin' anywhere. Blimey, Harry, after all we wen' through ter get you here?" Hagrid said in a voice that Iris had never heard him use before.

George moved on the couch beside Iris, "Yeah, what about my bleeding ear?"

"I know that-."

"Mad-Eye wouldn't want-."

"I KNOW!" Harry bellowed, his face contorting in deep hidden anger.

Everyone stopped speaking as he said this. The silence was suddenly broken by Mrs. Weasley, "Where is Hedwig, Harry? We can put her up with Pigwideon and give her something to eat."

The look of anger on Harry's face changed to deep sadness. Iris didn't want to admit to herself that something had happened to her.

Iris looked over at George, who had now propped himself up on some cushions. She could see that he knew something had happened; the worry etched on his face.

Iris hadn't heard the rest of what Harry had to say before he left the room to go outside. She looked around at the family; they all looked beaten and exhausted.

Iris got up and made her way to the sink to get a damp cloth for George. Once back at the couch she dabbed at his missing ear. The water still left in the cloth trickled down his face.

She siphoned all of the dried blood from the wound and dabbed at it with a clean rag. Mrs. Weasley took over from there, wrapping Georges head in a thick cotton gauze bandage.

Iris helped lift George up off the couch with Fred on his other side. They both brought him up the stairs and put him to bed. Before leaving Iris sat on the edge of the bed and stroked George's head. She could hear Fred close the door behind him as he left.

"What would I do without you?" George's voice took her by surprise. He raised his hand up and caressed her cheek.

Iris could feel the tears well up in her eyes again. She brought her hand up to meet his. She looked away from him as the tears ran down her face. She didn't want to face the fact that she could have lost him tonight.

George sat up slightly in the bed and was trying to calm her, "Shhhhh, it's okay, it's alright, Iris, nothing is going to happen now. It's over."

She wanted to believe him so badly that it hurt. She knew it would never be over and that they were always going to be in constant danger.

He pulled her head to his chest and held her there. Slowly he reclined back onto the bed with her still in his arms. She continued to cry as he continued to hold her. Iris pulled her legs up onto the bed and was comfortably lying beside him, like so many other times, except this time it was different.

Iris couldn't help but notice how George seemed so much calmer than her when he was the one that was almost killed. It should have been the other way around. He should be the one that needed the comforting.

She lay in George's arms until she fell asleep to his tired breaths; tear trails streaking her face.


	97. Chapter 97

No one had woken them up the next day, they just let them be. Iris woke up first; it was in the middle of the afternoon. She hadn't realized how tired she must have been when she fell asleep.

She slithered out of George's arms, trying not to wake him. Once she was free she made her way downstairs and found everyone working on preparations for the wedding.

Before long, everything seemed to be in full swing as the date of the wedding drew nearer and nearer. George had insisted that Iris sleep in his room with him but wouldn't dare let Mrs. Weasley hear him imploring her or know about it for that matter. Eventually she succumb to his pleads.

Two days before the wedding, Fleur's parents and sister arrived at the Burrow. They were all as highly sophisticated as her and had the same thick French accent.

Iris tried not to pay too much attention to them and instead focused on getting through the wedding.

Iris had almost completely forgotten that it was Harry's birthday when she woke up the next day.

It was almost an hour before the festivities were to take place when Iris slipped into the bath for a quick wash but was caught up in her busy thought.

The tub was half full and lukewarm as almost a half an hour past since she had gotten in. She was going over the thoughts of everything that had happened. The thoughts of how her life had changed for the better when she met the Weasleys' and how she almost lost the most important person in her life, swam through her mind.

The last of the summer breeze blew through the window, riding over Iris's exposed skin.

As the wind died she felt as if a shadow had been cast over her. She ignored it as a cold shiver ran up her spine. The water gently rippled around her as she felt a feeling of horrible foreboding and evil.

As her thoughts turned back to other things, her ears where filled with the sound of a snake hissing. It sounded so familiar, so friendly, and so seductive that she was entranced by it.

A sharp knock on the door brought her out of it. Iris heard the familiar voice of Mrs. Weasley, "Iris, dear? Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said drawing in a startled breath.

"Alright, we are starting soon," Mrs. Weasley said finally.

"I'll be down in a minute," Iris called through the door; she was shaking from the now frigid water. She drained the tub and got up from the freezing water.

Her feet hit the slick tile floor first and she almost slipped. She grabbed onto the tub and steadied herself. Iris reached for the towel and draped it around her dripping body.

She dressed in the outfit she had planned on wearing to the party for Harry. She returned to George's room, which was now hers too, and grabbed her wand from the dresser.

Her willow wand still felt the same after all these years. It was still comfortable and perfect in her hands. It was as if it was a silent guardian and friend that stood near by, coming to her rescue when she most needed it.

Iris put her wand in her jean pocket and headed down the long staircase down to the garden. She was greeted by the sight of long tables placed end to end, purple floating lanterns that emblazoned the number seventeen and every one gathered around the table with Harry at one end. In front of him was a floating orb of gold that resembled a Snitch.

She seemed to have arrived late for the start but was greeted by everyone when she had arrived.

George had saved her a seat beside her. Iris took it and noticed that he had the bandage taken off his head. It was odd to see him with out his ear but she didn't care. She kissed his cheek as she sat down.

Everyone was there except for Mr. Weasley; even Charlie, the oldest son, had made it.

Suddenly a weasel with a silver glow had appeared. It had even spoken with Mr. Weasley's voice, "Minister of Magic coming with me." The small weasel disappeared as quick as it came.

Lupin grabbed Tonk's arm and got up from the table, "We shouldn't be here. Harry-I'm sorry-I'll explain another time-." They left without another word.

"The Minister-but why? -I don't understand-," Mrs. Weasley was saying just as the Minister and Mr. Weasley had come through the gate.

Iris looked at the Minister and saw that he looked very much like a lion with grey grizzled hair that resembled a mane. He looked older than he did in the _Daily Prophet_ but she brushed the thought aside.

"Sorry to intrude. Especially as I can see that I am gate crashing a party," Scrimgeour said gruffly looking over the table. His gaze landed on Harry and the Snitch cake, "Many happy returns."

"Thanks," Harry said.

"I require a private word with you, also with Mr. Ronald Weasley and Miss Hermione Granger."

"Us? Why us?" Ron asked astonished.

"I shall tell you when we are somewhere more private. Is there such a place?" Scrimgeour asked Mr. Weasley.

"Yes, of course. The, er, sitting room. Why don't you use that?" Mr. Weasley looked terribly nervous.

"You can lead the way," he said to Ron. "There will be no need to accompany us, Arthur."

Iris watched as Ron, Hermione, Harry and the Minister all make their way into the house.

The attention had shifted to other things. Iris looked over at George who had been looking at her the whole time.

"What?" she asked, giggling slightly.

"Oh, it's just that I have the most beautiful girl in the world right beside me," George smiled.

Iris smiled big and kissed him. Mrs. Weasley must have seen because she cleared her throat to get their attention. Iris broke the kiss abruptly and turned a slight pink.

"Mr. Weasley? How did you do that trick with your Patronus?" Iris asked curiously.

"Oh, it's actually quite simple really. Come here and I'll show you," Mr. Weasley beckoned her forward. She got up from her seat and stood beside him.

"Now, all you have to do is conjure your Patronus and speak to it as if you where sending a message. It's a way of letting the Order communicate with each other when we need to," Mr. Weasley took out his wand and conjured his Patronus, speaking softly to it. The weasel had scampered over to Mrs. Weasley and had said, "I love you," in Mr. Weasley's voice.

Iris couldn't help smile at this. Wanting to try it out for herself she said the incantation under her breath, completely forgetting to use nonverbal spells.

Iris watched as the moose erupted from her wand, but before she could tell it anything another weasel scurry forward. It looked different from Mr. Weasley's but vaguely familiar.

Iris knelt down to hear the message, "I love you," it said. Iris blushed and looked over at George who was sitting in his seat as if nothing had happened.

She stood up and whispered something into the moose's ear. It walked slowly over to George and leaned its beautiful, strong head down and whispered the words where released from its mouth.

His face was illuminated by his smile. She smiled with him and watched as the moose disappeared into a wisp of silver.

As Iris and George beamed at each other, Scrimgeour came limping from the back door. He left with out another word.

Mrs. Weasley rushed after him and announced, "He's gone!" Mr. Weasley went to the back door and returned with Harry, Ron and Hermione.


	98. Chapter 98

Iris noticed that each of them was holding something in their hands. They passed the items around the table. When they reached Iris she saw before her an odd lighter-like object that when the button on the side was pressed, the lights nearby where either extinguished or rekindled.

The book that Hermione had handed around was, _The Tales of Beedle the Bard_. Iris flipped open the cover and her eyes caught the sight of a small triangle with a line and a circle inside. It had seemed to have been drawn into the book afterwards. She past it along, not really paying attention to the figure.

The last thing that was making its way around was all too familiar to everyone sitting around the table. It was a Snitch but Iris did see anything particularly special about it.

"Harry, dear, everyone is awfully hungry, we didn't like to start without you…Shall I serve dinner now?" Mrs. Weasley asked abruptly.

Dinner had gone by in a hastened rush with a chorus of 'Happy Birthday'. Soon after most everyone headed to bed.

Iris climbed the stairs behind Fred and in front of George. She stepped onto the landing and entered the room. Fred had made his way to the bathroom with his night clothes to change.

George undressed for bed. It didn't seem to matter anymore that they were sleeping in the same bed or that they got dressed in front of each other. Iris followed suit and climbed into bed beside George.

The thoughts of the following day were swimming though her mind. She found that she couldn't fall asleep so she thought of what would happen after the war finally ended.

Would she and George still be together? And if they were, what would their future together hold in store? What would happen to everyone else?

Progressively her thoughts became darker and more realistic. What if Voldemort wins? What if George dies? What if she dies? What if everyone that she loved and cared about died? What would she do?

She was brought back to reality by someone shaking her, it was George. "Are you alright?"

Iris turned over and looked at him, "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm sorry for waking you."

"It's alright, you didn't really wake me up, I was already awake," he sounded tired.

"What were you thinking about?" she asked curiously.

"Who said I was thinking?" he joked, "I was thinking about tomorrow. It sort of silly really, having a wedding in the middle of all this."

"Yes, I guess it is," she said distantly. The thought of George or anyone she knew dying started to dissipate.

"Well, we don't want to be caught waking up late for tomorrow, do we?"

"No, I guess we don't," Iris smiled at him through the dark and kissed him lightly.

The day of the wedding dawned on the Burrow. The sun shone through the bedroom window and hit Iris, warming her face.

"You are so beautiful when you sleep," Iris's eyes fluttered open and saw George attempting to tie his tie.

She smiled at his flattering words and sat up in the bed, stretching her arms over her head.

"Here," Iris got out of the bed and crossed the room to where George was standing. He lowered his hands to her hips and pulled her close as she was trying to fix his tie.

He let out a deep sigh and kissed down her neck, "George, not now," she said ineffectively, trying not to succumb to the temptation, which she was trying to fight off feverishly. To her dismay, she let out a moan of deep pleasure.

He loosened her body from him and let her resume fixing his tie but still adamantly tried to kiss her everywhere he could. Iris couldn't help but feel immense profound satisfaction from his love.

When she had finished with the tie, she had gone to retrieve the dress she was going to wear. "Alright, you might want to leave."

"Why would I ever want to leave?" he said into her ear as he wrapped his arms around her from behind.

"Because I don't want you to see me just yet," she said matter-of-factly.

"Fine, I'll be downstairs then," George said before kissing the nape of her neck, making her shiver.

She couldn't resist any longer, "Alright, you need to leave or I'll never let you," she said breathlessly as she started pushing him out the door.

Once she closed the door behind him, she let out a deep sigh, mixed with relief and longing.

The dress was simple and black. She couldn't reach the zipper in back so she left it. She opened the door and descended the stairs to the kitchen. Fred was the only one in the kitchen when she entered.

"Well, hello there," he teased, "Here, let me help you with that." Fred came towards her and zipped up the back of her dress, "I daresay, you could give the bride a run for her money."

The closeness of him at that moment made her tremble; she couldn't help it. She blushed and the deadly thought of, how her life would have been different had she ended up with Fred instead, crossed her mind.

"Today's the big day," Iris couldn't help but say.

"Yeah, it is," he said. They stood there for a few minutes in silence.

"I better go and find George," she said sheepishly, wanting to get out of the awkwardness of the situation.

Once outside Iris saw that the band had arrived along with the waiters from the catering service. She found George easily because he was one of the tallest people there.

"Hmmm, who could that beautiful girl be?" George said jokingly.

"Hmmm, I don't know, who could she possibly be?" Iris teased back.

"George, come here, dear," Mrs. Weasley's voice called from somewhere in the crowd of guests arriving. He left her standing there by herself.

She walked over to the large tent and seated herself, waiting for the ceremony to start. It was nearly half and hour until things started to settle down. Fred and George seated themselves on either side of her.

George took her hand in his but Iris could see Fred looking over at her from the corner of her eye. What was happening with him?

Music floated through the air as everyone in the wedding party made their way down the long aisle followed by Fleur and her father.

Iris caught sight of the magnificent dress before she even saw Fleur's radiant smile. Her dress was a lavish design of white with black phoenixes facing each other and the tails trailed back towards the train of the dress forming a heart.

Fleur made it down the aisle where she was joined by Bill who looked handsome in his tuxedo.

"We are gathered here today to celebrate the union of two faithful souls…Do you William Arthur, take, Fleur Isabelle…Then I declare you bonded for life."

The wizard who was leading the ceremony had shot stars out of the tip of his wand that showered over them.

"Now ladies and gentlemen, if you would please stand up," the man said.

Iris stood up along with everyone else. The wizard waved his wand once more and a dance floor appeared along with many several tables.

Bill and Fleur stepped out onto the dance floor and had their first dance as husband and wife. Iris swooned at how romantic it all was.

When others started joining in on the dance floor, George took Iris's hand and led her to the floor.

He wrapped his arms around her waist while she draped her arms over his broad shoulders, their foreheads touching one another.

"I want to stay this way forever with you," George whispered so she was the only one to hear, "I love you, Iris."

Iris felt light hearted when he said this, "I love you, George." Iris closed her eyes and got lost in the music and just being there with him.

He took one of her hands off his shoulder and kissed it, his eyes lingering on the ring that he had given her. Iris replaced her hand on his shoulder.

"Marry me," he whispered. The words hit Iris like a brick wall. Her heart fluttered like a million butterflies.

"Yes," she said immediately, almost instinctively.

They both stopped moving completely. Iris had never seen him smile so big. Tears of joy started to flood her eyes as he picked her up and spun her around.

They relished in their happiness as the next song started. No one had seemed to notice them having their own celebration.

They moved to the side to let others onto the floor but as soon as the song climaxed, a silver wispy Patronus appeared in the middle of the crowd.

The lynx Patronus had the voice of Kingsley Shacklebolt. A panic seemed to raise in the crowd yet everyone was silent.

"The Ministry has fallen. The Minister of Magic is dead. They are coming. They are coming." The powerful voice faded to nothingness.


	99. Chapter 99

Before anyone could have even uttered a single word, chaos exploded in the tent. Curses and dark masked figures engulfed the room. George and Iris were separated by the hexes that whizzed by.

All she could think to do was call for George. Her searching screams were in vain. Nobody could have possibly heard her over the commotion. When Iris had drawn her own wand to retaliate, some one had grabbed her and was pulling her out of the way. Iris caught sight of someone with fiery red hair rush to the aid of some of the guests.

She felt the familiar sensation of Apparating. When she steadied herself she looked around to see where she was. She saw that she was in a place she had never been before. It was almost as if they were underground.

Iris turned around to see who brought her and came face to face with Fred. Above them, she could hear the sound of a brutal attack occurring. She thought she heard the sound of a body hitting the floor.

"Why did you bring me here?" she screamed, praying that the body wasn't George's.

"We had to get out of there," he retorted taken aback somewhat at her ingratitude.

Up above another explosion was heard. The distant shouts of her name drew her attention. Iris knew that it was George frantically looking for her. Tears of fear and foreboding welled in her dark eyes.

She started at a run for the exit of the tunnel but was blocked by Fred. He grabbed hold of her tightly, trying to restrain her.

"Let go of me!" she screamed at him. Iris was desperately trying to loosen his grip but was having almost no luck. She turned towards him and started hitting him in the chest out of extreme anxiety. She had to find George.

She had finally broken free and stumbled to the ground before getting to her feet. She had barely made it three feet before Fred grabbed hold of her again.

Iris struggled once more against him but was too exhausted to carry on for much longer but she didn't want to give up completely.

"Iris!" another yell from above came, "Where are-," the voice was cut off and was followed by a tremendous crash.

Knowing that it was George calling for her, Iris fought against her restraint, "LET GO OF ME!" she screamed again.

Knowing that she wasn't going to get any closer to finding George she continued to take her fury and fear out on Fred.

When she had finally exhausted herself she fell into him, crying in hysterics. It was different with Fred than it was with George. She slowly started to lower herself to the ground where she sat and cried. Fred joined her on the dirt floor of the tunnel.

When everything went quiet above, Iris couldn't help but stifle her sobs to listen. Footfalls sounded overhead then went silent.

Head in her hands, Iris held her breath, waiting for what awaited. Some moments later, the distinct sound of popping was heard; Iris looked up and saw the other members of the Weasley family and the members of the Order that attended the wedding.

Iris bolted upright and sprinted over to where George stood. They both embraced in desperate urgency; George kissed her over and over again, not caring who saw.

"I thought…I was going…to lose you," Iris said between kisses.

"I thought I already lost you," he confessed breathlessly. They hugged tighter than she thought possible.

"We have to get to the safe-house," Lupin said, breaking up the moment.

Still entangled in each other, Iris and George followed behind them. After a few moments of silent walking, they came upon a bunker like structure that looked like it had been abandon for a long time until recently.

"We will stay here for the night and check to see if the coast is clear in the morning," Mr. Weasley said, a little shaken.

With a wave of his wand, several cots appeared in the middle of the floor. "Alright, to bed, all of you," Mrs. Weasley ushered them, closely watching them all settle into bed.

Iris nestled into the cot furthest from Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, against the wall, George placed himself in the bed beside her, moving closer to hers so that they were directly next to each other, as if it were one large bed.

He coiled his arms around her and held her close. Everyone seemed to fall asleep one at a time, Iris being the last.

She suddenly found herself somewhere else, there was a man wearing dark robes and was sitting at the head of a long table in an extravagant dining room. He was terribly pale and snake-like with deadly red eyes. His stare could kill if he wanted it to.

Gathered around the table were several people that Iris recognized from the _Daily Prophet_ as escaped Death Eaters. One in particular caught her attention. Bellatrix Lestrange. Her dark hooded eyes looked with great desire to the head of the table.

Iris slowly approached the table to see what was happening when she was stopped dead in her tracks. Her emerald eyes had set upon a dark pair that belonged to someone she knew but didn't want to believe was them.

Snape had been seated on the neighboring side of the table from the serpent like man. Iris couldn't take her eyes off of him as hard as she tried. She just couldn't believe that it was him, sitting in the presence of the Death Eaters as if they were old friends.

As the man at the head of the table glanced around he seemed to look right at Iris, and as he did, she felt her insides start to burn. She moved somewhat but still his venomous eyes followed. He seemed to know that she was there.

She made to grab for her wand but once again found it to be nowhere in reach or sight. Suddenly something clicked in the back of her mind. The man that was always watching her was Voldemort, the Dark Lord himself.

She cringed painfully at the thought and turned from the table, she started towards one of the doors out of the room. Everyone she had tried was locked. On the last door she tried to hurl her body at it. For a brief moment she thought she had success but was wrong.

Behind her, muttering started to erupt from the table as the scraping of a chair was heard from the far opposite side of the room. Iris listened hard but heard no footsteps. She peered back over her shoulder and saw that Voldemort was not at the head of the table.

Without her wand, she began to panic. She had caught site of a now opened door and ran through it. She kept running until she was almost out of breath and had thought that she could find a suitable place to hide from her pursuer.

Iris ducked behind a cupboard door that was slightly ajar. Once inside she had closed the door just enough so that she could see.

She heard a deep yet powerfully seductive voice echoing through the halls of the giant house. The sounds of many shuffling footsteps were also heard, "There is no need to hide, Iris. I will find you."

"My Lord, might I suggest that we not look for the girl, she will eventually have to show herself. She can not hide forever," Iris recognized the voice of Snape.

"No, I will find her. And when I do-," Voldemort said defiantly.

"Yes, but My Lord we also have to take care of Potter and his friends…" Iris shifted in the small cabinet, causing the door to creak open slightly.

"Wait," the pattering of bare feet came from across the room towards the cupboard. Iris covered her mouth to stop her sudden loud breathing. She watched as the light from outside grew smaller and smaller as someone drew closer.

"Ah, what do we have here?" Without another word, the door swung open and long fingers clasped around her neck.

With almost inhuman like force, he pulled her from the closet and pinned her to the wall, suspending her at least a foot above the ground. She immediately threw her hands to her throat, trying to loosen his grip. With each vain attempt he only tightened his hold.

She gave up trying and concentrated on trying to stay conscience while he chocked her. Iris saw Snape lurch forward, almost out of instinct to come and rescue her again, but stopped him self. An unsettled look placed upon his sallow face.

"I've been waiting for the day you would come to me. Just like a moth to the flame." His voice was ringing in her ears painfully.

He slowly loosened his grip as she slid down the wall to the floor below. Still with his hand around her neck, he held her to the wall.

His cold eyes bore into her as he moved his pale hand to her red face, slightly caressing it, "I daresay, you are as beautiful as your mother; the same fiery red hair," as he said this he had stroked a lock of her hair, staring at it desirably. "Although you do have your father's eyes," He looked down at her green eyes longingly, causing Iris to fidget under his cold touch.

He drew his hand away slightly, staring at her hard, "But this does not change the fact that I have to kill you, even though it would be a great loss to the Wizarding world."

Voldemort took a few steps back and drew his wand, pointing it at her heaving chest. Iris knew that this was the end, there was no escaping it. She braced herself for the hit. As she awaited her death she looked over at Snape who wore a hidden anguished expression as he watched what was about to happen.

Iris looked back toward the wand pointed at her chest, "Avada Ked-."

The words were never finished and Iris found herself being shaken awake by almost everyone in the safe house. They had all gathered around her as she opened her eyes.


	100. Chapter 100

"Iris, dear, wake up!" Mrs. Weasley's scared shouts came.

As she sat up straight in the bed, she had come face to face with Fred, who had been shaking her, "Thought we might have lost you there."

"What happened?" she asked, clearly confused.

"You weren't moving and we couldn't tell if you were breathing either," Mr. Weasley told her.

"Are you alright?" Mrs. Weasley asked warily.

"I think so," Iris answered unsure of what had just happened.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, Mrs. Weasley,"

"It was another dream again, wasn't it?" Ginny asked.

Iris looked up at her knowingly, "Yeah it was."

Her green eyes caught the sight of Fred standing behind everyone, keeping his distance.

"Well it must have been one intense dream," George added, "Wait, what is there on your neck?"

Iris instinctively put her hands to her throat and was greeted by fresh bruises. "What the bloody-hell happened to you?" He asked examining them.

Mrs. Weasley pushed him out of the way to get a better look. Iris heard her gasp in horror. "Who-Who did this to you?"

"I-I don't know," she lied. She knew very well who did it but thought they wouldn't believe her if she told them that it happened in her dream, "It's fine, don't worry about it."

Everyone looked at her with profound concern etched on their faces. Iris got up from the bed and tried to avoid every ones glances as they carried on with what they had previously been doing.

She was still dawning her black dress from the night before. George approached her carefully, embracing her, "Let's get you back up to the house."

Iris followed him but didn't say anything. He led her up to their bedroom and closed the door behind him. They stood in silence for a few more moments.

"What was it about?" he asked gently, trying not to push the answer out of her.

Iris sat on the edge of the bed with her knees pulled up to her chest. "It all happened in an instant. One moment I was lying next to you then the next, I was-." Her voice trailed away as George sat next to her.

She looked up at him, "Have you ever had a dream that felt so…real? So real that you question whether it was or not when you woke up?" She searched his eyes for his answer before he said it.

"Well, yeah, doesn't everybody?" he said considering her.

"I guess. But this one was different from all the others. This one was one of those that I couldn't tell reality from fantasy."

She took a deep breath; George still looking for his answer. "In the dream, I was in this mansion and at the head of a long table in the dining room was You-Know-Who. He was surrounded by Death Eaters and-." She stopped herself from saying that Snape had been their. Somewhere deep inside, Iris knew that he couldn't be that person, sitting loyally by Voldemort's side. He had saved her life on countless occasions and Iris couldn't see any evil in that.

"And?" George asked.

"And then he was looking right at me, as if he could see me. I ran and hid in a cupboard but he found me and started to choke me." As she retold the dream, the more and more it seemed to replay in her mind. She could almost feel his cold hands on her face and his malevolence stare.

"So is that why you have those marks on your throat?" He said it more as a statement than a question. Iris didn't look at him.

Iris heard the sound of people moving around downstairs. Iris got up and moved towards the closet for her clothes.

As she slipped the dress of and pulled on her jeans George broke the silence, "Ron, Hermione and Harry are gone."

Iris turned on the spot towards him, "What do you mean, gone?"

"They left, last night after the attack," he told her.

She wondered where they were headed and hoped it was for the best. Iris remembered overhearing something about they weren't returning to go back to Hogwarts. It was only three weeks until Iris would return there herself.

Iris sat at the kitchen table when Flute flew through the front window carrying an issue of the _Daily Prophet_. She took it from him and untied it revealing the headline.

_Severus Snape Confirmed as Hogwarts Headmaster:_

_Severus Snape, long-standing Potions master at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, was today appointed headmaster in the most important of several staffing changes at the ancient school. Following the resignation of the previous Muggle Studies teacher, Alecto Carrow will take over the post while her brother, Amycus, fills the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. 'I welcome the opportunity to uphold our finest Wizarding traditions and values-.' _

Iris had stopped reading the paper. Snape was Headmaster. She couldn't quite wrap her head around it but her eyes wandered down the front page and rested on his picture.

Snape still had the same sallow pale face, shaded by a black curtain of hair. The only difference was that he looked tired; so tired in fact that it looked as if he never got any sleep.

Once she had finished staring at the front page long enough, re-reading the article over a hundred times to herself, she looked up to find that Flute had another letter.

Iris's eyes met the green familiar scrawl of the yearly Hogwarts letter. She broke the seal and read to herself what she would need for the following year. Everything looked ordinary; nothing seemed to be different.

Iris laid the letter on the table when Mrs. Weasley appeared. She walked over to the table and looked over Iris's shoulder at the supply list. A great sigh escaped her lips, "Arthur and I will get these for you, dear." With that Mrs. Weasley took the list and left the room.

When they had retrieved her stuff a few weeks later, Iris set upstairs to pack her things. She kneeled on the hard wood floor next to the trunk, gently placing things into it.

She was deep in thought about the coming school year that she hadn't heard someone come in.

Fred kneeled beside her and her trunk, "How are you?" Iris jumped a bit at his sudden appearance.

"Oh…I'm fine-," Iris said slightly startled. Silence crossed between them, a silence so profound that Iris could hear the words they didn't dare say to each other.

"Let me help you with that, there," Fred said picking up some of her robes and books off the bed.

"I was really planning on doing it myself but-."

"It's no problem," he said calmly, not looking at her.

When they had finished packing everything, the silence swiftly returned. Iris wanted to ask him so many questions but all she could muster was, "Thank you."

Fred looked like he was about to say something else, "It was nothing." Iris watched as he left the room, leaving the door slightly ajar behind him. She couldn't help but feel disappointed in herself for not asking.


	101. Chapter 101

The very next day, Iris and the several Weasley's left for Platform 9 ¾. The station was as packed as ever except this time, Iris observed that everyone seemed to be waiting for something devastating to happen.

Flute twittered in his cage as Iris stopped pushing the luggage cart. She looked over to the large stationary clock that read ten to eleven. She watched the train as she inhaled deeply.

She turned around to face them. They all looked back at her with reciprocal looks of knowing. She had to go back and there was no changing that.

Iris said her goodbyes to all of them. She turned to George who was standing aside, watching her with his hands in his pockets. She walked over to him and tried not to let the tears building up behind her eyes fall.

George smiled shyly, "Be safe and stay out of trouble for me, okay?" Iris wrapped her arms around him and held on tightly. He nestled his face in her soft hair. Iris thought that she heard a sniffing back of tears but didn't pay it much mind.

As his words reached her ears the tears had started to break through their defenses, "I will, I will, I promise, George, I promise," she said through strained sobs.

They separated and Iris wiped at her eyes trying to extinguish the tears. She looked back over at the clock, which read three minutes till eleven, and then at the Weasley clan.

"Now, if there are any problems at all, I want you to tell us straight away, alright?" Mr. Weasley said anxiously.

"I will," she said, still wiping at her red eyes.

She heard the whistle to the train sound as she grabbed her cart and moved away from them.

Iris didn't look back for fear that more tears would fall. She seated herself away from everyone else as usual with Flute's cage sitting opposite her on the seat. He looked at her with a slightly distressed expression.

Iris closed her eyes and fell asleep. She opened her eyes and found herself back in the mansion. Panicking at the mere thought of the man sitting at the head of the long table she shut her eyes tightly. She was waiting for something to happen or for Voldemort to attempt to kill her again.

She waited but nothing happened. She didn't even hear the sound of hushed voices around the table. Iris opened her eyes and saw that no one was even there.

Relief sank in and she took a deep breath. Iris started to walk around the stretch of table. She came upon the seat that was his and ran her hands gently over. Something seemed to be subconsciously pushing her to sit in it; to feel the power that he must feel; to look upon the faces of his loyal followers as he must see them.

She lowered herself onto the throne-like chair and gazed upon the room in a superior way. Along with the chair came an immense feeling of insatiable lust for something almost within her reach; something that would be somehow forever eluding.

Iris sank back into the chair and closed her eyes. She was breathing in the feel of his might and power; it was almost intoxicating.

The familiar sound of a snake whispered in her ear gently floated through her and over her body.

"Enjoying ourselves are we?" the voice sang. A more human voice interrupted her and the panic sank through her bones like an ice cold wind.

Iris jumped automatically throwing her hands up to her throat and face.

He chuckled, "There is no need to worry your self…yet. I will not harm you," he cooed, placing his hands on the back of the chair. Iris pulled her feet up to her chest, making her shrink in appearance.

Iris couldn't say anything, her fear of what was about to happen had swallowed her. She found that she could only turn around and look at him.

He was pallid and had intensely burning red eyes. His nose was replaced by slits, much like a snakes. He was tall and only cloaked in a black billowing robe that dragged slightly on the floor behind him. Iris noticed that his wand was nowhere in sight.

"Isn't it extraordinary? The way one feels when put in a position of great power?" Voldemort circled slowly around the chair stopping to face her. Iris kept her eyes on him as he moved around her.

"Wake up, Iris. Wake up, Iris." She coaxed herself in a whisper, closing her eyes and covering her ears so as not to hear him. In mock frustration she started to pound her fists against her temples. A maniacal hissing laughter played in her ears. The air of the presence dissipated and the familiar sound of the Hogwarts express was once again ringing in her head.

As she sat stark still, the wheels of the locomotive had screeched and slowed to an early stop. Iris got up from her seat and opened the compartments door, walking out of the car and into the open train where everyone seemed to be sitting. She spotted Neville sitting with Ginny.

Dark figures pushed her out of the way as she was about to join them, ramming her into the wall of the still train car. They seemed to be searching for someone. They slowly surveyed the car.

Cormac McLaggen stood, "My father will hear about this." It was a line that struck Iris as familiar.

Neville was the next to stand. He knew what they wanted, "Hey, losers, he's not here." They gave him a look of indignation and annoyance.

A Death Eater called from the back that he wasn't there. The head of the group turned on the spot looking scathingly at the student passengers. The men in black robes disappeared from the train car and the familiar lurch presumed, the locomotive started moving once more.

Iris stood frozen for a moment longer as the train gained full velocity on its way to Hogwarts. She joined Neville and Ginny at the booth of the open car. Luna came in only moments later to sit by them.

"They won't find them." Ginny muttered under her breath. She looked down, toying with her hands in her lap. "We have to help them."

"How are we going to do that?" Neville puzzled nervously looking from Ginny to Luna to Iris and back to Ginny.

She didn't answer right away. Instead she took a deep breath and peered up at them behind shielded eyes, "I have a plan."


	102. Chapter 102

The students loaded off the train. They were not met by the carriages that greeted them every year. Instead there stood a piggish looking man and stocky woman. Iris presumed that they were related somehow. An unsightly pair none the less.

They stopped them in front of the gates that separated them from the castle grounds. "Everything is about to change for you little gits now that we're here." The pig bellowed in a wheezing laugh.

"Ah, yes, we are about to have a lot of fun now, aren't we." The woman moved towards a first year, squishing his red cheeks in her stubby fingers.

Iris stood in the middle of the crowd next to Neville, "It's the Carrows."

"Who?" She had never heard nor seen them before in her life.

"Alecto and Amycus Carrow. They helped You-Know-Who in the first Wizarding War. They were here the night that Dumbledore died. But why are they here now?" Neville said so that it was barely audible.

Iris was about to answer when the collection of rushed students started moving forward through the gates, lead by the pair of wizards.

She looked up at the castle she was glad to call home. It was another time and place entirely. Her home was hidden under a permanent cloud of despair and foreboding darkness.

The Great Hall was not much different. None of the candles had been lit to welcome them back. Iris looked up half expectantly to see Dumbledore sitting at the head of the Hall and that this was all just a horrible dream. That none of this was real.

Instead, seated at Dumbledore's seat was Snape. The last person she wanted to see there.

All the students had been made into single file lines in accordance to their house. The siblings had made it to their spots at either side of the Great Hall facing the half terrorized and frightened student body. "Sit!" One of them shouted.

Almost at once everyone had seated themselves on their house benches. Everyone except the remaining members of Dumbledore's Army that remained standing for a moment or so longer.

Alecto and Amycus seemed to take this as a challenge, drawing their wands. Iris looked up at the Staff table to see McGonagall's face flash with impending dread and urgency. Iris drew her wand as did the others, ready to fight.

Snape stood up, "Enough." He didn't even have to yell for them all to stop dead in their tracks. "Put those away," his voice resonated off the hollow walls of the Hall. He came around to the front of the Staff Table; his face seemed more sallow and tired than she had ever seen before.

"Now, as you all may know—," He stopped to face them all. His weary eyes still black as night, bore into them, "—I am the new Headmaster," His droll tone was heavy and almost regretful, as if he wished that he hadn't had to say any of it.

"Things will be different this year. The Carrow's will be filling the positions of Dark Arts and Muggle Studies teacher. They are also in charge of discipline. If anyone steps out of line, they will be punished. There will be no exceptions. Anyone involved in 'extracurricular activities' will be dealt with immediately." Snape's tone had regained its usual disdain.

He soon dismissed the dismayed students to their beds. All Iris could think about was how this year was already turning into a total disaster.

Next morning at breakfast, Iris had received her schedule. McGonagall wore a dreadful look on her aged face as she continued her duties as a Head of House.

Classes weren't much better. In Muggle Studies, Alecto had already assigned several students detention; Neville being one of them.

Iris fought back the urge to shout at her as she lectured on and on. "Muggles are filthy, dirty animals. They threaten our way of life. We are being oppressed by them and their ways. They drive us into hiding. They are vicious and cruel. We will restore the natural order by wiping out Muggles and Mudbloods alike." Iris knew that if she had even uttered one word that she would be in for it.

Amycus wasn't much better in Dark Arts Class. He had them using the Cruciatus Curse on other students as punishment for their wrongdoings.

Iris refused when it came to torturing a small first year. "I won't do it. You can't make me."

"Detention for you then!" The wizard stalked over to her, shoving her hard to the ground.

Iris picked herself up from the floor and drew her wand. "You can put me in detention all you want but you are not going to torture these people. Dumbledore would not stand for this."

Within a second, Amycus had grabbed her face, quashing her cheeks in his rough hands. "Oh, yeah? Well, Dumbledore ain't here now, is he? Last I recall, he was falling head long from the AstronomyTower." He cracked a sickening smile and cackled in his wheezy laugh.

Iris's eyes started to burn with tears. At the sound of his cruel laughing, Iris spit in his face. The piggish man recoiled immediately, slapping her across the face. She fell to the ground again, not expecting the sudden blow as she groped for her wand.

"You little-," His words were cut short from the swift kick to her stomach. She gasped in anguished pain and terror. Amycus rose his twisted wand at her and bellowed the dreaded unforgivable curse, "_Crucio_!"

Iris's body contorted as she seized and convulsed on the floor of the class room. The pain radiated through her whole body. Her screams of anguish refracted off the walls of the room, bounding down the hallways.

No one dared to move to physically help her themselves. The only ones that would have helped her weren't even in class that day due to the several injuries from the Carrow's sessions of detention, though some ran from the classroom yelling for a teacher or anyone for that matter to help.

Amycus relented for only a moment as Iris's eyes lolled towards the door, seeing McGonagall, Flitwick and Snape. He must not have seen them as he once again rose his wand to torture her almost lifeless body.

"_Expelliarmus_!" Snape barked as Amycus's wand flew through the air; preventing him from hurting her any further. McGonagall and Flitwick moved forward to her limp body, attempting to stand her up.

Snape stood back watching what he had just stopped. If they hadn't arrived when they had, Iris would have been much worse off. They carried her past Snape who watched as she was being supported on her way to Madame Pomfrey's.

Iris woke up in the Hospital Wing. She was not the only one their. She looked around to see many other students who had suffered the undeniable wrath of the Carrows.


	103. Chapter 103

She returned to classes a few days following the incident but she never returned to Dark Arts class. Nobody asked questions.

In the common room, Neville had gotten back from his detention with Alecto. He bore a fresh gash on his face. Ginny stood up from the couch, "This has got to stop. We need to help Harry. We need to help him destroy the Horcruxes." She paused, taking a deep breath and looked around the common room to make sure no one else was listening, "The Sword of Gryffindor."

"That's you're plan?" Neville said remembering what she had said on the Hogwarts Express.

"Yes. If we can sneak into Snapes office and somehow get the sword to Harry-." Ginny's voice trailed off.

"We need to act fast if we want this to work." Iris looked at her. They both were mentally already plotting and planning.

Over the next few days they were trying to find a distraction while they snuck into the Headmasters Office. So far they were having no luck at all.

Their big break came when Snape was dealing with other matters on the other side of the castle, away from the Headmasters Office.

Neville stood in the vicinity as Snape left, signaling to them that it was all clear. Luna, Ginny, Iris and Neville snuck up the stairs of the tower pushing the door open ever so slightly; just enough to fit through.

Iris noticed all of the portraits of past Headmasters had still hung in their places. They all seemed to be either absent from their frames or dozing off. They stood in the middle of the familiar room.

"There," Ginny was the one to notice the glass encasing the glittering Sword of Gryffindor. The ruby inlaid handle gleamed in what little sun came through the high windows. It was truly a beautiful sight.

Neville and Luna moved forward to open the case. As the glass started to slide open, the silky voice of Snape gushed from behind them. "What do you think you are doing?" He seemed angry that they had weaseled their way into his office but more so about what Ginny was now holding in her hands. "You were going to bring that to Potter, weren't you?" His tone was deadly.

Ginny was about to speak but was cut off. "No," Iris spoke up.

"What was that Miss Blackthorne? Detention, all of you." His voice eased slightly. "You will be serving it with Hagrid in the ForbiddenForest, tomorrow. Now get out." He didn't have to say anything more. Iris knew that he was in a way protecting them from the Carrows and their sadistic means of punishment. He took the sword out of Ginny's hands, watching them all leave.

The ForbiddenForest was as expected but it was a far more pleasant experience than that of the one they would have endured at the hands of the Carrows wands.

Under the authority of Neville, Dumbledore's Army had once again risen. They spent most of their efforts trying to thwart the Carrows and in return had been given numerous detentions and beatings.

Some of which did not come from a wand. Iris had bruises covering her entire body. She was too sore some days to even get out of bed.

Some days, Iris would join them in running up and down the halls of the school causing mayhem and writing 'Dumbledore's Army, Still Recruiting.'

After what seemed a lifetime of beatings and bludgeonings, it was Christmas holiday. Iris wanted to badly to see the Weasley's and George most of all but she felt it was her duty to stay at the school. To look after those who had been left behind.

Most of the time, Iris had hid away in the Common Room of Gryffindor Tower. She felt safest there away from the imminent dangers but when she was outside she fought for every student that needed defending.

George was furious when she told him that she wouldn't be returning for the holiday. Mrs. Weasley wasn't having a good time about it knowing that she wasn't coming. Half of the reason she didn't want to go home was because Iris knew that George would not allow her back at the school if he saw what they were doing to her.

None the less they managed to send her some gifts. The usual hand knitted scarf and odds and ends from everyone. It didn't matter what they were, she loved them all anyways.

From where Iris stood in the spectrum of everything, this was the saddest Christmas she had ever experienced. It wasn't because she was alone, she had had many holidays like that; it was because she knew what was going to happen soon enough. The impending feeling of foreboding clung in the air.


	104. Chapter 104

**There's only a couple more chapters to this epic. I hope everyone is enjoying it. Review and tell me what you think :)**

As the holiday came to a close, Neville and Ginny had returned a day or so early. "Luna's gone." Neville almost screamed at Iris as they rushed to meet her.

"What? What do you mean 'gone'?" Iris started panicking as she thought of what could have possibly happened to her.

"The Death Eaters, they kidnapped her." Ginny sounded as if she was about to cry.

"Oh my God," Iris covered her mouth. "I can only imagine the kind of things they are doing to her." Another ugly thought crossed Iris's mind. She tried to shake it away, composing herself. "Alright, well we can't do anything. I'm sure the Order is on top of everything."

"Yeah, you're right." Neville muttered nervously trying to think of what to do next. "Maybe we should slow down for a bit. The DA I mean. With Luna gone, who knows what might happen."

None of them said anything afterwards. They all just sat on the couch in the Common Room.

Months passed by, the same routine never seemed to change. The Carrows had still had it out for everyone, throwing hexes and jinxes in every which direction not caring who got hit.

Everyone had gone and returned to their families for the Easter holiday. George had begged her to come back this time. It had been months since they had corresponded with one another. She had to refuse the offer even though she did so unwillingly. She and Neville were both going to be staying this time.

Somehow, Iris and Neville got word that the Weasley's had been pushed into hiding. The Death Eaters must have been looking for them. Ginny wasn't going to be coming back.

Alecto and Amycus had become more and more brutal with their attacks. Iris had still refused to torture the first years or any other student for that matter. One incident had lead to Alecto chaining Iris in the dungeon for several days. No one had seen her and Neville reported it to McGonagall.

When they found her she was severely dehydrated and half delirious. They rescued her from the restraints that had been enchanted to tighten every time that someone struggled against them. As they had been removed, her wrists were imbedded with flakes of metal, raw and bleeding.

They bandaged them up so that her hands were encased in heavy gauze for some weeks more. She dropped both Muggle Studies and Dark Arts class but the corrupt siblings still had it out to find her and curse her. They did the same to all of the DA members.

Michael Corners had attempted to save an imprisoned first year but the Carrows had ultimately caught him. Iris heard that it was a torture so brutal that he was in the Hospital Wing for weeks.


	105. Chapter 105

Neville announced to everyone that they had to stop risking their lives for the DA. It wasn't worth risking their lives for. It seemed an almost great relief for everyone even though they would have still fought. The beatings were less frequent but just as fierce.

As days trudged into weeks, the Carrows came for Neville. Someone had leaked that he was the ringleader in the events that had been occurring throughout the year. Iris found him, along with several others hiding away in the Room of Requirements.

Iris joined Neville, Seamus and countless other members of the DA in the close confinements of the room. There had been cots and hammocks placed throughout, compliments of the room itself.

The sound of some ones stomach growled in Iris's ear. "I am so bloody hungry." Seamus complained to himself. The thought of food made her realize how famished she was, not to mention everyone else.

Iris stood up and joined Neville who was standing off on his own, looking as if he was contemplating things. "Neville, what are we to do about food?"

As he was about to answer the large golden frame above the fireplace swung forward. Iris stepped forward to peer into the mass of shadows. Neville lit his wand and leaned into the darkness. "Hello?" His echo reverberated off the slick wet walls bouncing back at them.

"Where does it lead?" Seamus asked curiously, eager to know.

"Let's find out shall we?" Neville hoisted himself up to stand in the mouth of the bleak tunnel. He reached out a hand for Iris to take, lifting her up to join him.

_"Lumos_," the tip of her wand illuminated brightly before her. "Let's go." As they walked into the belly of the cave, Iris still couldn't see in front of her it was so dark. She reached out her hand and attempted to use the wall as guidance.

They finally came to an obstruction. Neville moved passed her and started to push on it until it relented. He practically fell out of the portrait hole and onto the ground. Iris grabbed his collar and pulled him back to his feet.

Iris gazed around the room that was dimly lit by a fire dwindling beneath where they stood. Neville jumped down from the mantle, assisting Iris down after him.

In the middle of the room stood an old rickety table that looked as if it could give way any second. It had a tray of mugs on it and some bread.

Neville moved to take some to bring back when the sound of someone descending stairs came over them. Neville dropped the bread and readied his wand as the door to the stairs open.

Iris turned to see Dumbledore, or at least who she thought was Dumbledore. He had a long silver beard and gleaming blue eyes. The man looked at them half bewildered. "Who are you?" His voice was intelligent with an edge of distain. "What do you want?"

"We came from Hogwarts," Neville sounded nervously. "We discovered this passage and we followed it. We have no food."

"Hogwarts? Why are you here then? The school has elves to fix your meals. Go back to where you came from." The man's beard twitched slightly as he talked.

"We can't," Iris spoke up, surprising her self and apparently the silver man. "We are in hiding."

The man's blue eyes widened slightly, "What is your name?" He pointed slightly to Iris.

She hesitated before answering, "Iris Blackthorne. This is Neville Longbottom."

The man's face dawned with realization as he looked at her, "You are Dumbledore's Army." His tone was still somber and low.

"You know Dumbledore?" She jumped curiously.

"Hmf, I knew Dumbledore." He rolled his eyes slightly.

"Who are you?" Neville finally asked.

"I am Aberforth. I run the Hog's Head Pub upstairs." He turned his focus onto Neville.

"Aberforth, we need some food from you." Iris interjected, getting to the pertinent point; the reason they were even there.

"How many do you have over there?" He didn't move.

"At least twenty or twenty-five," she admitted. She knew it was a lot to ask for.

Without another word, Aberforth turned from them and went up the stairs, closing the door behind him. Iris and Neville stood in silence as they listened to Aberforth's movements above them.

He returned with mugs of drink and loaves of bread for them to bring back to the others.

"Thank you," Neville replied as he handed them the mugs and bread. The hunger pain in Iris's stomach was so immense now that she just wanted to leave and returned to the Room of Requirements.

She lifted herself up onto the ledge of the mantle and pulled herself up, hitting a bruise on her leg. It was tender and she yelped slightly. Neville passed off the loads of food to her as she made trips back and forth. With each pass the tunnel became easier to navigate.

Once they had both finally arrived back in the Room of Requirements with everyone satisfied, Iris lay back on her cot, wondering what was happening in the castle and world around them.

They were secluded away for days or weeks, frequenting the tunnel to Aberforth's for food and supplies. They would come back with something new every time.

One day, Iris noticed a woman appear in the painting that covered the portrait hole. She was around her own age, captured in a brush stroked canvas. Neville moved to the painting and the frame swung out. He illuminated his wand and headed towards Hogsmeade. The portrait swiftly closed behind him, leaving them there to wonder what was happening.

Iris sat and watched the portrait hole, looking for any sign of movement. Neville was the first to appear, "Hey, listen up you lot. I brought you a surprise."

"Not more of Aberforth's cooking I hope," Seamus openly complained. "I'm surprised that we can digest it."

As he said it, Neville moved to the side of the hole and revealed Harry, Ron and Hermione. "Blimey," The mood in the desolate, somber room instantly changed to that of hope. Everyone stood and cheered for their long missing hero.

Harry climbed down from the mantle and was greeted warmly by everyone in the room. Iris had to push her way through to get to him.

As she stepped back she heard Neville tell a boy, "Get word out to Remus and the others that Harry's back." Neville returned to the crowd, "Okay, okay. Let's not kill him before You-Know-Who get's a chance."

Iris watched as the collection had dispersed, Nigel sang over the radio, "DA calling, do you read? We've a new weather report. Lightning has struck. I repeat lightning has struck."

"So what's the plan, Harry?" Neville looked at him eagerly. The surrounding members all looked back at him with hope.

Harry hesitated, looking back at all his classmates, "Alright, there is something we need to find. Something hidden here in the castle and it may help us defeat You-Know-Who."

"Right. What is it?" Neville pried.

"We don't know." Harry admitted tiredly.

"Where is it?" Dean chimed in.

"We don't know that either. I realize that's not much to go on." His tone sounded defeated.

"That's nothing to go on." Seamus shook his head.

"I think it will have to do with Ravenclaw. It will be small, easily concealed. Anyone, any ideas?" They all looked down at the ground as if thinking.

Luna appeared suddenly, speaking first, "Well, there's Rowena Ravenclaw's Lost Diadem." The DA tried to hide their surprise at her sudden reappearance since her kidnapping.

"Oh bloody hell, here we go." Ron exclaimed.

"Lost Diadem of Ravenclaw? Hasn't anyone heard of it? It's quite famous." Luna added dreamily.

"Yes but Luna, it's lost. For centuries now, there's not a person alive who's seen it." Cho tried to reason.

"Excuse me but can someone tell me what a bloody Diadem is?" Ron interjected.

"It's like a sort of crown. You know, like a tiara." Cho replied.

Iris heard the noise first of the room's entrance revealing itself and quickly hiding. They turned to see Ginny standing at the other end of the gathered members, opposite of Harry. "Harry."

Iris saw Ron trying to wave to his sister but was ignored. "Hi, there." Harry looked at her dazed.

Feeling insulted, Ron, added, "Six months she hasn't seen me and it's like I'm Frankie first year. I'm only her brother."

"She's got lots of those though, only one Harry." Seamus looked back at Ron smiling.

Ron graced him with a condescending look, "Shut up, Seamus."

Neville spoke first addressing the situation, "What is it Ginny?"

"Snape knows. He knows Harry was spotted in Hogsmeade." Ginny's voice trembled.

Iris followed all of the members of the DA out of the protection of the Room of Requirements. Harry joined them, wearing one of the member's robes as to disguise himself.


	106. Chapter 106

All four houses marched across the courtyard of the once cheerful castle. Iris watched as the Carrows chuckled their wheezing laughs at them as they passed. They situated themselves, two houses on each side of the Hall.

Iris stood still in the Great Hall, clearing a path for those about to arrive. Snape pushed past the students to the front of the Hall; his ominous cloak billowing behind him.

He faced them. "Many of you are surely wondering why I have summoned you at this hour. It's come to my attention that earlier this evening Harry Potter was sighted in Hogsmeade." His silken voice echoed as the students in the Hall began to stir at the news. Iris and the other members of Dumbledore's Army stood silent.

Iris could feel Snapes eyes on her as he continued. "Now, should anyone, student or staff, attempt to aid Mr. Potter, they will be punished in a manner consistent with the severity of their transgression. Furthermore, any person found to have knowledge of theses events who fails to come forward will be treated equally guilty."

She couldn't help but look at his burning eyes, matching his intensity. "Now then, if anyone here has any knowledge of Mr. Potter's movements this evening, I invite them to step forward…now." Snape moved down the path created by the orderly placed students.

For the longest moment in Iris's life, no one moved. They waited, not saying a word. Then Harry, dressed in the Gryffindor robe stepped out of the crowd. The room erupted with murmurs of students turning to face him.

"It seems, despite your exhaustive defensive strategies, you still have a bit of a security problem, Headmaster." Harry revealed as the Order opened the heavy wooden doors of the Great Hall. "And I'm afraid it's quite extensive. How dare you stand where he stood? Tell them how it happened that night. How you looked him in the eye, a man who trusted you, and killed him. Tell them."

Snape drew his wand as McGonagall came to Harry's defense. Everyone in the Great Hall pushed as far away from the impending duel. Snape started to withdraw his wand at the thought of battling McGonagall but held steady. Iris watched the regret that he wore on his sallow face.

The Order readied their wands as well, watching for the next move. McGonagall shot a fiery blaze from her wand; once, twice, three times trying to strike Snape. Iris saw him defend himself half-heartedly.

In his efforts to defend himself and escape, the spell refracted off his counter-curse and hit Amycus and Alecto, knocking them unconscious. Snape, in an instant, seemed to fly out the window of the Great Hall, flying through the air away from the vicinity of the castle.

"Coward!" McGonagall shouted after him in an inborn fury.

Everyone in the Great Hall cheered with great relief at the abandonment of their Headmaster. The torches were once again lit with hope.

As the celebration was just beginning, the room went cold and dark once more. A harsh ringing in her ears; everyone was silent. There was a shrill scream from the other side of the Hall. Then another and another.

Iris cringed at the sound of the Snake's voice as it floated through the air "I know that many of you will want to fight. Some of you may even think that to fight is wise. But this is folly. Give me Harry Potter. Do this and none shall be harmed. Give me Harry Potter and I shall leave Hogwarts untouched. Give me Harry Potter and you shall be rewarded. You have one hour." The voice dissipated.

Everyone in the Great Hall turned to look at the Boy Who Lived. "What are you waiting for? Someone grab him." Pansy Parkinson jabbed. Ginny, Hermione and several more grabbed onto Harry, not to give him up, but to protect him.

Iris turned as she heard the familiar voice of the caretaker, Filch. "Students out of bed! Students out of bed! Students in the corridors!"

"They are supposed to be out of bed you blithering idiot," McGonagall scolded.

"Oh, sorry ma'am." Filched recoiled.

"As it happens, Mr. Filch, your arrival is most opportune. If you would, I would like you, please to lead Ms. Parkinson and the rest of Slytherin house from the hall." She demanded, pointing her wand to the exit.

"Exactly where is it that I will be leading them to, ma'am?" He asked cautiously.

With her head held high, McGonagall answered, "The dungeons would do." The three opposing houses cheered as they dispersed; Filch leading the Slytherins away.

Iris caught sight of George and ran into his arms. The embrace was bittersweet and painful. The bruises she had obtained throughout the school year had seemed almost permanent.

She held close to him. She hadn't seen him since they had seen her off on her last year to Hogwarts. Their kiss was one of longing and loving passion.

"You do what you need. I'll secure the castle." Harry started to move away from McGonagall. "Potter? It's good to see you."

Taken aback slightly, "It's good to see you too, Professor." He turned from her, "Hold the fort, Neville." Harry and the Order exited the Great Hall, arriving in a blunder of chaos.

Iris held tight to George's hand, not letting go as they ventured, pushing through the crowd of students. The hallways were dark and dismal as George pulled Iris along with him.

In the rush, Iris stopped. The night's glare reflected off an infinite dome of magic; shielding the castle. It was massive. It was beautiful and breathtaking.

As she seemed entranced by it, George stood by her caught in the sight of the immaculate magnificence, "Isn't it beautiful?"

Just as they watched the shield touch the earth surrounding them, Fred ran by them. He was apparently looking for them but also stopped dead at the sight.

George seemed to shake himself loose first, "We have to go," Iris and Fred ran along side him towards the clock tower.


	107. Chapter 107

As Iris reached the top George went one way, forgetting about her momentarily to join up with Remus and Kingsley. Feeling somewhat lost, Fred took her hand and guided her to where they were to be. He took her over to the front side of the castle; the AstronomyTower looming overhead.

She watched the twins join up a few meters away looking down upon the courtyard below. George was talking to Remus on his other side; Fred looking over at her occasionally, trying to hide it. She watched them both disappeared from view.

Moments of silence had passed when a faint explosion was heard. Everyone's head jerked towards the sound. Iris saw lights striking the protective shield; trying to break through.

"Tell Professor McGonagall that Remus and I will handle this side of the castle." Kingsley announced trudging over the suspended platform.

"Yes, sir," Dean Thomas obeyed, turning to relay the news.

At the sight of the spectacular attack, Kingsley reconsidered, "Hey, Dean, tell Professor McGonagall we might need another wand or two more wands this side."

Fred and George reemerged taking their places; Mr. Weasley following suit. Iris thought she heard the twins. "You okay, Freddie?"

"Yeah," His hidden nervousness was now clear.

"Me too." George played with his wand in hand as he nudged his brother. Fred looked over to Iris who was standing resolutely alone.

She looked at him, deep worry and concern of the approaching battle in her eyes. He looked longingly at her until George turned to look at her. She looked away. The moment that she and Fred had was gone, even if she had imagined it.

George made his way to her, embracing in a comforting hug. She half-heartedly returned the favor. She looked passed him to Fred who stood back, watching as if it didn't bother him but his eyes said otherwise.

George kissed her forehead, drawing her attention back to him. "We'll make it through this, together. I promise. Okay?" She looked deep into his eyes and was hit by a wave of tears. She pulled him closer to her, holding on tight; never wanting to let go.

They let go as more explosions hit the defense that was to protect them. George returned to his place by his brother's side. Iris looked at them standing together as Fred looked at her for a short moment.

There was a sudden blast of light that was almost blinding. As his eyes lingered, the defense started to rumble in an almighty roar of pain as it began to deteriorate before them. They all turned to watch in horror as the fortress fell in languished sobs; disintegrating in midair.

The film of protection withered away in fiery wisps. Students below began screaming and running every which way.

Their eyes still interlocked, sending messages unspoken. Iris darted for the stairs downward, Fred following close behind as George hesitated a moment longer, watching the wall collapse.

She readied her wand for the battle, jumping stairs when she could. The chaos of the school was overflowing into every space. Iris could barely muscle her way through the crowd without being run over by the stampede of students.

Far ahead of Fred and George, Iris was in the midst of all the anarchy. They looked for her fiery hair dancing through the mob, pushing against it moving its way outside. George caught her first.

She saw before her the stone soldiers being shattered by hideous bald Giants. The dark shadows of Death Eaters not far behind, swarming towards the castle.

Iris yanked herself from George's grip and ran through the courtyard towards the approaching battle. He screamed after her, telling her to come back. She didn't look back as she cast hexes at the flying shadows, knocking them out of the air.

The surrounding blasts rung in Iris's ears as she heard McGonagall, "Get inside! This way, everyone! Take cover!" Iris watched the green sparks fly through the air as the courtyard started to catch fire and crumble beneath its burden. She stood watching in horror, frozen.

The wall next to her started to give way as Iris woke from her stupor, rushing from the spot. She felt herself hit the ground as she was hit by the flying debris; covering her head till the dust settled. Instantly she got up and ran for the castles front door.

She was at the steps when a cloaked figure's spell shot passed her. She shot back out of instinct and fear. The space between them was barraged with magic both with deadly intentions.

Iris dove behind a crumbled dilapidated wall, out of the Death Eaters sight. The fear rose in her chest, gripping her tight. "_Expulso!_" The heat from her wand exploded outward toward the target as he shielded himself.

The blast was so powerful it caused the Death Eater's hood to fly back and his mask to shift, revealing him to her. As the dust and smoke simmered, she saw Snape.

She looked at him in disbelief and secret hurt. As he tore off his mask he gazed back at her, out of breath, an almost defeated look in his black eyes.

She still had her wand raised to attack him. He wasn't preparing to attack her. Snape waited for her next move but apparated as he knew she wasn't going to make it. She watched him soar skyward, feeling the need to follow him; her eyes following the dark smoke.

Instead of pursuing him, Iris ran inside looking for another target, running through the thinning crowd of still hectic students. "Iris!" Fred yelled to her a few flights up. She looked to see him running towards her.

"Fred!" She ran just as quickly towards him. They met in an embrace neither of them was expecting. Their lips met suddenly. She held onto him tightly as he pulled her into him.

She felt the moment was one of pure magic. Her heart fluttered as the rushing chaos surrounded them. Blasts and curses soaring right passed them.

She pulled away from him still in his arms as he pushed aside a stray strand of her crimson hair. A wave of sudden guilt flowed through her. He let his arms drop. "I have to find Snape. He-."

"I saw. Be careful, won't you?" Fred's sad eyes looked down at her. She hadn't said anything as her eyes began to swim in fresh oncoming tears. She shook her head slightly, unnoticeably. He watched her back away slowly, running towards somewhere he would never be able to follow; away from him.

As she was out of sight of him, Iris drew her eyes towards the sound of an eruption of explosions. The sound of a wall crumbling and people yelling rang forever loud in her ears.


	108. Chapter 108

Iris moved on, pushed her way towards the Boat House, the direction she watched Snape venture to. She approached it with the utmost caution as to not alert him of her presence. She perched herself against a wall near the open doorway.

"You have preformed extraordinary magic with this wand, my Lord, in the last few hours alone." Snape's calm demeaning tone floated through the apprehensive air.

"No, no. I am extraordinary but the wand resists me." The hiss of Voldemort made Iris shudder in deep displeasure. A cold feeling crept through her body.

"There is no wand more powerful. Ollivander him self has said it. Tonight, when the Boy comes, it will not fail you, I am sure of it. It answers to you and you only." Snape reassured him darkly.

"Does it?" He sounded like a child buying into a parents lie.

"My Lord?" He asked slightly confused.

"The wand, does it truly answer to me? You're a clever man, Severus. Surely you must know. Where does its true loyalty lie?" Iris peered around the archway, looking at Snape. His face signaled that he was caught but yet kept his calm disposition.

She expected Snape to give up. What she didn't expect was him to see her there warning her with his heavy eyes to stay quiet. Her eyes widened as she pulled away out of sight. "With you of course, my Lord."

Voldemort saw through the bluff, "The Elder Wand cannot serve me properly because I am not its true master. The Elder Wand belongs to the wizard who killed its last owner. You killed Dumbledore, Severus." The venom and validation thick in his voice. "While you live, the Elder Wand cannot truly be mine. You've been a good and faithful servant, Severus. But only I can live forever."

Iris looked to see Snape, more sallow, the panic rising in his face. Fear gripping his voice, "My Lord-." Voldemort swiped his wand through the air in one movement; a gash appearing at Snape's collared throat. He fell to the floor as blood seeped from his neck.

Iris covered her mouth as to stop her self from screaming. She pulled back hitting the wall, sitting against it as she heard Voldemort, "Nagini, kill." The oversized serpent lunged at Snape on demand, making a sickening sound at each strike.

Iris gaped in silence at the horror. She heard the familiar silence of the lapping water of the lake. Voldemort had gone. She didn't even hear Snape moving.

Her head fell into her hands as she cried in silence. The sound of shuffling feet drew her upward. "Take them, take them, please" was a harsh whisper she couldn't distinguish.

Harry said urgently, "Give me something. Quickly. A flask, anything."

"Take them to the Pensieve." The whisper lingered. "Look at me. You have your mother's eyes." They were the last words Iris heard from Snape. All was quiet.

Iris couldn't stand to stay a minute longer. She pushed herself away from the Boat House moving up the stairs towards the castle when the harsh tone of the Dark Lord swept through the grounds.

"You have fought valiantly but in vain." Iris covered her ears as it rang, "I do not wish this. But every drop of magical blood spilled is a terrible waste. I therefore command my forces to retreat. In their absence, dispose of your dead with dignity. Harry Potter, I now speak directly to you. On this night, you have allowed your friends to die for you rather than face me yourself. There is no greater dishonor. Join me in the ForbiddenForest and confront your fate."

Iris could still hear the words through her hands. She uncovered them and ran. Not wanting to know what was ahead of her at the blazing castle. "If you do not do this I shall kill every last man, woman and child who tries to conceal you from me." The voice went quiet and was heard from no more.

Iris ran through the courtyard finding it utterly abandon, a deep feeling of foreboding overcame her. She pushed herself forward, through the giant doors of the Great Hall.

She found it somber and unnerving. Half of the ceiling had fallen in the fight and lay crumpled at her feet. Students and teachers alike were huddled around each other in blankets as others were busy moving around attending to the dead or injured.

Iris's breath caught high in her throat as she saw the Weasley's standing at the far end of the hall.

She made her way to them. George and Mrs. Weasley heaving agonizing and anguished sobs over someone Iris could not see. She walked closer but her view was obstructed by George who came to hold her.

His body shook in deep agony for the person laying there. Iris held onto him but felt suffocated by the fact that she didn't know who they were crying for.

As he let go of her, Iris had wondered where Fred was. As the very thought crossed her mind, she had her answer.

His body lay still and lifeless on the ground beside his gathered family. She didn't move or say anything. She couldn't. There was nothing to be said.

Iris felt a deep stabbing pain in her chest as she fell to her knees, grabbing onto George for support; the weight crushing her. Her emerald eyes gave way to a flood of hot, burning tears that she knew would never stop.

Her heart ached. She knew why it did too. Iris was joined by George on the floor beside her. She wept openly and sorrowfully; a moan of deep grief escaping her throat. The more she cried the tighter her chest got, her heart constricting in its cage. The lamenting cry of great loss. George held her, as she cried into his lap.

Iris didn't want to move. Even when the tears had dried on her red face, she still felt the urge of longing in her heart that would not cease. She could only begin to imagine what the Weasley family might be feeling.

Ron walked past them, George got to his feet, leaving her to sit alone. They embraced as Ron stooped over his brother's dead body. He too fell to his knees covering Fred with his body mourning aloud the loss. Hearing Ron made Iris want to cry even more. She hid her face behind her hands as they would forever continue to mourn.

Iris finally had the strength to stand as she walked away. Her legs trembling terribly as she made her way through the Great Hall. Nobody followed her, not even George.

As she passed the great wooden doors she got sick. Her stomach was completely empty and it was painful. The racking sobs and dry heaves almost made her scream out in pain. She wanted to run away, run far away.

Instead of running, she returned to the Great Hall and joined the Weasley's. Fred's body was covered with a white linen sheet.

She sat down with George and nothing was said by anyone. Iris laid her head on his shoulder as he did the same. They sat in silence for hours.


	109. Chapter 109

As the bleak sun began to rise behind the mountains, Iris heard an approaching profound silence. She made her way outside.

She watched as Voldemort and the Death Eaters slowly walked up to the castle. Iris noticed Hagrid was holding something in his arms.

Ginny must have seen it too, "Who is that Hagrid's carrying? Neville, who is it?" Neville was ahead of the crowd, holding the sorting hat in his hand as he limped forward.

"Harry Potter is dead!" The Dark Lord hissed triumphantly.

Ginny bolted forward, "No! No!" Mr. Weasley restrained her.

"Silence!" He spat. "Stupid girl, Harry Potter is dead. From this day forth you put your faith in me." He turned away from them to his loyal servants, "Harry Potter is dead!" He cheered.

They laughed manically out of fear, "And now is the time to declare your self. Come forward and join us. Or die." His red malevolent eyes scanned the mass landing on Iris. She was accompanied by George standing by her side.

The profound silence was deafening. Lucius Malfoy interrupted, "Draco." Everyone looked to see Draco standing on the opposing side. "Draco."

Narcissa joined in the plea, "Draco…come." With much hesitation, Malfoy cautiously moved towards the center of the great opposition to join his parents.

As Draco approached him, he cooed, "Ah. Well done, Draco. Well done." He moved passed him and joined his parent's side.

Iris couldn't believe what she was seeing as Neville gradually hobbled forward, "Well, I must say I'd hoped for better." Voldemort mocked. His counterparts laughed behind him in support. He stooped forward to meet Neville head on; a wicked look glinted in his eyes, "And who might you be, young man?"

"Neville Longbottom." He avoided looking into the snakes glare. The unmasked Death Eaters all boisterously cackled.

"Well, Neville, I'm sure we can find a place for you in our ranks" Voldemort mocked.

"I'd like to say something." Neville bravely looked up.

Iris saw the sneer of distaste on his face as the snake restrained himself, "Well, Neville, I'm sure we'd all be fascinated to hear what you have to say."

Iris watched the exchange between them dubiously, "It doesn't matter that Harry's gone."

"Stand down, Neville." Seamus interjected fiercely.

Neville faced him sharply, "People die every day. Friends, family. Yeah. We lost Harry tonight. But he's still with us, in here." He pointed to his heart. "So is Fred, and Remus. Tonks, all of them. They didn't die in vain." He faced Voldemort. "But you will. Because you're wrong. Harry's heart did beat for us. All of us. This is not over!" Neville drew the Sword of Gryffindor from the Sorting Hat, brandishing it at Voldemort.

Iris readied her wand to fight once more. As Neville pulled the sword, Harry dropped to the ground. The shock and surprise on the enemies face was one to be remembered.

"_Confrongo!_" Harry's wand shot flames at the large snake beside Voldemort as he jumped through a whole in the courtyard's wall.

Iris looked through the explosions of fury erupting from the Elder Wand to see the Death Eaters abandoning their positions.

She saw the raw hatred boil over in Voldemort's eyes as he turned on them and with the remaining loyalists storm towards the castle. Iris saw him looking straight at her throwing Unforgivable Curses at her and the surrounding stragglers.

Without thinking, Iris raised her wand to defend herself. When she saw the chance, she ran inside.

The corridors were riddled with fresh dust and what once seemed so familiar became a maze of twists and turns. Bits of wall crumbled as she ran.

She came to the Great Hall, filled with spectacular colors of flying curses. Iris joined in the violent fray as a Bellatrix had come within inches of killing Ginny.

Mrs. Weasley stepped up to have a go at the raven haired mistress. "Not my daughter you, bitch." She shot a hex in her direction.

Iris turned from the commotion as she was hit broadside by a stray spell, flying her through the harsh air. She landed in the rocky debris of the dilapidated castle. "Iris!"

The pain was immense when she finally stood; George was racing towards her in slow motion. Her eyes coming in and out of focus as he caught her before she fell.

He held her as she lay in his arms, cradling her. Iris heard a sudden rush of silence as a violent cry of defeat echoed through the school. Everyone stopped to listen. She felt that she knew deep inside what had happened. They had won.

The Death Eaters vanished within moments of the foretold knowledge of the Dark Lord's end. The dust began to settle.

George pulled Iris to her feet as they joined the other Weasleys. They sat together holding onto each others hand. She watched everyone rejoin their friends and families who came to the aid of Hogwarts.

The moment was joyous and happy. The Weasley's sat around one another. The sorrow and fear in the air had long since passed. Iris felt a smile dawn on her face as they started talking of happier times.

**Hang on. It's not over just yet. There is an Epilogue!**


	110. Epilogue

That summer she returned with George. She had never thought that she would live to see the freedom of the Burrow again.

She would never return to Hogwarts. Instead she was setting off to start her new life with the love she always wanted.

George and Iris sat at the river where she had sat with Fred almost a year earlier. "It felt like an eternity. I thought I was never going to see the dawn of a new day." Iris sung somberly about the night of the battle.

"I thought I would never see you again. I feared that we would never be together," George confessed.

"We lost so many…" Iris's voiced trailed off as it began to shake. She was still deeply mourning the loss of one of her best friends as she knew George was too. "I can't believe it."

"Lupin, Tonks and Fred," George's tone was that of deep misery. "I don't think anyone truly believes it." He looked at her sadly as her green eyes gazed at the trickling water. She reached out to touch its cool surface but pulled back.

"He loved you, you know." Iris's head turned sharply to face him, disbelief written on her tired face. George took a deep knowing breath. "He told me, when we were in our 5th year. You were only a third year then," The sudden rush of memories made George chuckle softly. "He told me, 'George, I think I'm in love with her.' I remember wanting to tell you but I knew that I was too."

She looked at him standing against the tree. She was speechless; her thoughts racing against time as her heart pounded in her chest.

Iris sat there at the streams edge, numb. She had never considered how Fred had felt or thought about it. At least until months before at Bill and Fleur's wedding.

The memory was smothered as she raised her shaking fingers to her lips. The kiss they shared had left a permanent impression; a scar.

"I know." George interrupted silently, grabbing her attention for only a split second. "I saw you two."

The wind blew through her fierce hair. The heartache she had been feeling was replaced by sudden anger and hurt she couldn't explain. George sighed heavily as Iris disappeared.

The full moon reminded Iris of Lupin and Tonks. She meandered through the shaded woods on the other side of the Burrow arriving back at the brook. She sat back down in the cool grass.

Deep thoughts ran through her mind, thinking back to the times with Fred. One of her favorites was when they had danced together at the announcement of the Yule Ball.

The memory of their last embrace, a kiss, surfaced. Shaking back the angry tears of misunderstanding that streaked her pale face she splashed the water rippling the reflection of herself she saw, distorting it.

She couldn't come to terms that he was gone. Neither could George. They moved in together soon after supported by the income from Weasleys Wizard Wheezes as Iris trained to become an Auror. The entire process was exhausting in itself.

"I don't know how this is going to work, George." Iris confided about the Auror position.

"It will work out, it always does." He reassured her half-heartedly as he wrapped her up in his arms.

When she found him later, George had his head in his hands, shoulders heaving. Iris sat on the bed, behind him, rubbing his broad shoulders, "Shh, its okay." She cradled him in her arms, smoothing his flaming hair. They lay back on the bed, Iris rocking him, trying her best to comfort him. She knew it would never be enough.

In her heart of hearts, Iris knew things were beginning to fall apart. She found George to be inconsolable some days. Other days he was fine, pushing the thoughts of his brother from his mind.

Those days were some of her favorite memories. They would walk through the parks, chasing after one another, kicking leaves into piles and jumping in them, dance without any music playing or cooking together in their tiny kitchen.

Unfortunately, Iris found the good days were overpowered by the bad. She couldn't live like this. It was killing her.

She cried for days as she fought with herself to stay. Iris couldn't find the strength that she once had.

Her hand began to shake fiercely as she took off the silver inlaid ring. She read the inscription that she had grown so fond of_, 'Ever thine, ever mine, ever ours.'_ Iris shook violently as she hated herself for what she was about to do to him.

Iris turned to look at the apartment that bore all the memories of the past two years they shared together. There was a deep tugging on her heart as she placed the silver band on the dresser, leaving it all behind her.

It had been almost fifteen years. Iris's aged face was no match for her fiery hair that still remained youthful and vibrant. Her sons, James and Oliver had run into Diagon Alley, heading straight for the all too familiar joke shop.

Iris followed them in. Her breath was taken away from her as the memories rushed over her. The shop was still the way she remembered it, exciting and all consuming.

She looked over the crowd in search of the two identical red heads bobbing and weaving in and out of the masses.

Her only daughter, Arabella, named after her own mother was holding tightly to her, careful not to stray too far.

They observed the shelves, stacked with enchanted trinkets and gadgets that appealed to everyone.

"Hello, beautiful," The sound forced her to face him. George stood behind her, watching and appreciating her.

"George," Iris felt that she had not spoken a single word in centuries; her throat was parched. He looked the same way she remembered him, perfectly captured in her memory for more than fifteen years. All was the same about him except he looked older, small wrinkles forming at the creases of his mouth and eyes.

Iris gazed at him with a hidden eagerness, "It's good to see you, Iris."

"Bella, go and find your brothers for me, would you?" Iris bent over to meet her six year old daughter at eye level.

"Yes, mummy," Iris smoothed Arabella's black hair, kissing her forehead like she so often did. George watched as the little girl skipped off to find her older brothers.

"She's beautiful." George gazed at Iris longingly, his eyes clouded with thoughts.

She couldn't help but appreciate the compliment, "Yes, she is, isn't she?" she added dreamily still watching where her daughter had gone.

"So, how have you been?" George leaned against the countertop, waiting for her answer.

Iris looked at him, meeting him with her emerald eyes, "I've been good, and what about yourself?" She couldn't help but feel like they were complete strangers

"I've been good. The shop is getting along brilliantly, with the help of Ron, of course." George admitted lightheartedly. He looked at her again, "I've missed you," His volume and tone changed dramatically.

"George, please, not here…" An unexpected rush of suppressed tears had started making their way to the surface. She looked anywhere, anywhere but at him.

Iris looked around for her missing children thinking she saw the tops of her son's heads. She wiped at her eyes as she heard Arabella giggling as she approached, sitting atop her brother's shoulders.

"Mum, we found all sorts of brilliant things." James pulled Bella off his twin's shoulders, placing her next to their mother.

Iris saw for the first time how much they looked like George. Their lanky, tall, well built frames combined with the crimson hair and freckles.

"Extendable Ears, Headless Hats, Punching Telescopes; they even have a PortableSwamp." Oliver contributed excitedly. The memories off all the pranks and jokes Fred and George had created rushed over her.

"Can we get them please, mummy." Arabella pleaded, giving her mother a face that made it hard to say no.

"Alright, each of you choose one thing each, that's it," Iris and George watched as their faces lit up as they ran off again.

George had an odd amused puzzled look on his face, "Hmm. I take it they look like their father?" He asked half seriously. "How old are they?"

"Fifteen," she revealed. She wished she could just come right out with it.

"Fifteen, it's a good year," George teased slightly.

"Yes, fifteen years of trouble," she responded sarcastically. She thought she caught a flash of the young couple that used to love to tease one another in the Gryffindor Common Room so many years ago.

"What are their names?" He asked slowly, curiously.

"James and Oliver. They are so much like their father…" She whispered, not wanting to look at him.

When she finally did she found it hard to look away. James, Oliver and Arabella came racing back to them.

Breaking the hold reluctantly, Iris dug through her bag, "Alright, here, Oliver." She began to hand him the payment for the jokes when George interrupted.

"No, no, no, there's no need for you to pay here. Your money is no good here." He waved a hand dismissively at the shimmering coins in her son's hand.

Smirking at Iris, he knelt down making himself level with Arabella. "Hey, you want to see a trick? What's that?" He asked in mock surprise.

"What? What is it?" Arabella put her hands up to her face, squishing her pale cheeks together slightly till they begun to turn red.

George pulled something from behind her ear, bringing it forward so she could see it. It was a coin made of chocolate wrapped in aluminum. "Here you go." He smiled warmly at her, returning to his full height.

"What's that behind mummy's ear?" Arabella pointing at Iris thinking she would get another coin.

"What? What's behind your mum's ear?" George walked close to her, playing along for the little girl. Iris was met by a red rose that he pulled from her ear.

Iris was mildly impressed with the Muggle Trick as Arabella screamed in content. He gave Iris the rose, opening her palm to place it in her hand, wrapping her fingers around its thorned stem, covering it completely from sight.

"So, I shall be seeing you all more?" George asked her children. As they answered Iris smiled to herself and to him. "I'll be looking forward to seeing you all again soon then? If you will, excuse me. Iris." He nodded to her, leaving them all standing there.

Iris watched him go, hidden longing surfacing in her eyes. She felt the weight of the rose change, it suddenly became heavier. Iris opened her palm to see the silver ring laying flat in her hand. She felt like she had been hit right in the chest

She curled her fingers around the small parcel, remembering the first time he had handed her the neatly wrapped box telling her not to open it in this very shop eighteen years ago.

Iris took hold of Arabella's hand, feeling how small it felt in hers. She thought of how her hand felt that small in George's. "Come on, loves, let's go." Iris ushered them towards the door; her heart fluttering at the recollections.

The Hogwarts Express whistled with anticipation of the new year approaching. Iris walked behind her two oldest sons as they pushed their trolley carts carrying their trunks and belongings.

Arabella squeaked cheerfully, clinging to her mother as the mighty train's smoke billowed through the station, distorting the vibrant red and black cars.

The crowd of students and parents were familiar, as it had been for many years. Oliver and James stopped before boarding the train, turning to their mother.

"Mum," James hugged her first.

"Take care of yourselves. Try to stay out of trouble." Iris embraced the taller of her sons, Oliver, kissing them both on the cheek.

"Oh, mum, you know we can't promise anything." They winked simultaneously, kissing Arabella goodbye before departing on the Hogwarts Express.

Her daughter jumped to get a better view of the train, Iris hoisted her up so they could wave goodbye. The identical twins sat in a car by the front of the train with other students their own age. One was a girl and the other a boy, who looked distantly familiar.

"Wave goodbye to your brothers, Bella," Iris cooed squeezing her, making her giggle in fits of laughter as she tried to wave farewell.

The crimson train began to pull away from the station as the clock chimed eleven. The whistle howling through King's Cross Station.

The pair waved until the train was far out of sight. Iris lowered her daughter to her feet, tickling her. "I love you Bella." She kissed her daughters cheek as she squirmed playfully, shrieking happily.

Arabella's laugh trailed off as she shrieked, pointing to someone in the thinning crowd.

Her emerald eyes turned to rest upon George. He stood some distance away with a woman that reminded her of her days at Hogwarts, Angelina Johnson. Time had not aged her a day.

George's and her eyes locked, unwilling to move. Arabella stayed by her side, ogling him. Iris stood upright, their eyes full of lingering feelings and words left unsaid.

Angelina turned to her husband causing him to break the spell that needed no magic. He placed his hand on the small of her back as they turned to leave.

George nodded his head towards her, not saying a word as they left out of sight and out of her life. Until next year.

**I just want to thank everyone for sticking with this story. Endings always get me. I love this story (and so does my little sister who is probably this stories biggest fan) and I appreciate everyone who has taken their time to read it. Thank you :) Reviews always welcome.**


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